Tucked away in a workshop in a humble Mamaku cottage is a true advocate of Kiwi ingenuity and resourcefulness. He not only saves old computers from landfills but fixes them up and gives them away again.

Keith Tissink is a gentle and bright-eyed retired chef who indulges daily in his electronics hobbies.

For the past five years, through the Waste Exchange, Keith has collected second hand computers and electronic materials from businesses that didn't want them and would otherwise have thrown them away. He takes the old parts and puts them together into working systems and printers. The latest recipient of his practical charity is the 13 year old boy next door. But over the years he's given free assistance to numerous others in the township of Mamaku, near Rotorua.

"Businesses shouldn't just throw things away. Give it to me and I'm happy. My challenge is to find out what the problem is so I can fix it."

The Waste Exchange is a free, non-profit service that helps Bay of Plenty businesses find alternatives to disposing of unwanted materials. It provides a forum for connecting unwanted materials with new owners. Its goal is to reduce the amount of rubbish unnecessarily ending up in landfills.

The Waste Exchange is funded by Environment Bay of Plenty and the region's district and city councils. To contact The Waste Exchange Phone 0800 NO THROW or visit the website www.nothrow.co.nz

Posted: Mon 05 Jun 2006

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