Good Planets Are Hard to Find... Lets Look After Ours
Toms Autos is committed to doing our part to help reduce the environmental impact of the automotive industry.
As proud members of the Auto Super Shoppe network, we take environmental responsibility seriously through the recycling and responsible disposal of:
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Waste oil
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Oil filters
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Batteries
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Tyres
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Plastics
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Automotive fluids and materials
By recycling these products correctly, we help reduce landfill waste and minimise the need for new raw materials.
We also believe that properly maintaining your vehicle plays an important role in reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Regular servicing, correct tyre pressures, clean filters and a well-maintained engine can all help improve efficiency and reduce your vehicle’s environmental impact.
Whether you drive a petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric vehicle, keeping your vehicle properly maintained helps improve reliability, safety and environmental performance.
At Toms Autos, we are proud to combine quality automotive servicing with responsible environmental practices for the benefit of our customers and our community.
We hold an Auto Super Shoppe Environment Standards Certificate.
We hold a MTA Certificate of Compliance (MTA Environmental Standards)
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Tyres
We participate in Tyrewise. Tyrewise is a regulated product stewardship scheme which ensures those who produce or sell tyres take responsibility for the 6.5 million tyres that reach their end of life each year across New Zealand. Previously about 40% of the 6.5 million tyres Kiwis use to keep us moving every year were recycled, repurposed or used as tyre derived fuel. The rest ended up stockpiled, dumped, or in landfill.
In the wrong location tyres are a waste product, but in the right place end-of-life tyres can become valuable resources for Kiwi businesses. Tyrewise manages tyres from collection through to processing to ensure they end up where they should – adding value to our communities, not creating harm. Tyrewise allows us all to work together to end the inconsistent disposal practices which lead to stockpiling, illegal dumping and tyre fires.
Plastic Containers
Around 4.5 million lubricant containers are discarded every year in New Zealand. Lubricant packaging is hazardous and problematic to recycle due to the residue left inside even when they're empty. While a small percentage are recycled, the majority end up in landfill. But NOT ours... Our empty 20L Total Oil plastic containers are either re-used for decanted chainbar or they are sent to Hastings to be chipped, cleaned and distributed to various different manufacturers to be repurposed via Total Energies 'Lubricant Container Stewardship Scheme'.
Oil Filters
Oil filters pick up heavy metals and other particles as it’s working in our vehicles. This stuff is pretty nasty and can harm our ecosystem. When dumped, used oil filters can contaminate the soil and make it's way into the groundwater. NOT at Toms... All of our used oil filters are drained and the oil is recycled into clean burn energy & the steel is recycled.
Cardboard
Did you know that every tonne of paper and cardboard recycled saves 13 trees!? Cardboard is easily recyclable and can often have a second life as newspaper, tissues or cardboard trays. We recycle our cardboard at our local recycling depot.
Waste Oil
When we change vehicle oil, the old oil hasn’t gone bad... it’s just dirty. All of our waste oil is captured and sent to be 'cleaned' . The recycling process cleans the oil by removing water, sludge and heavy metals which produces a cost-effective alternative fuel for many businesses, including those in the horticulture, timber drying and meat processing industries (boilers & kilns).
Batteries
Comprising various metals such as lead, nickel, steel, zinc, lithium and cobalt enable old car batteries to being infinitely recyclable in not just new car batteries but lots of products. Packed with harmful chemicals and acid you don't need to be a scientist to understand that leeching these types of pollutants into the soil or water table is not the best. We recycle our end of life batteries.
LED Light Bulbs
We use LED bulbs throughout our buildings. LED is highly energy efficient – Less heat, more light, lower cost. Use less electricity for the same light output - 85% less electricity when compared to conventional lighting and around 18% less electricity compared to CFL. Worldwide, around 20% of electricity is consumed in lighting
Antifreeze/Coolant
We are very careful with how we store our used antifreeze so it doesn't enter waste or storm water drains. We also use a premium antifreeze made with no silicates, phosphates, chromates, nitrites or boron. Once antifreeze has been circulated through a vehicle it may contain toxic metals so we pay for our end of life antifreeze to be collected and processed at a specialized plant in Auckland.
Carbon Neutral Paper
Traditional copy paper wrappers are coated in plastic, which means they cannot be recycled as paper recycling. At Toms Autos we use an Officemax Carbon Neutral paper - it is a plastic free copy paper wrap (as at July 2023 this is the only plastic free alternative option in NZ!). Since the launch of the Plastic Free Copy Paper Wrap, Kiwis who have ordered this copy paper from Officemax have prevented 35,962 kilograms of plastic going into landfill – almost 36 tonnes in just three years! Being a carbon neutral paper, Officemax purchases carbon credits to offset the extracting, processing, transportation, production, storage, freight, use and end of life disposal, by investing in renewable energy in the developing and third world, reducing emissions and helping to fund the transition to a global low carbon economy. To top it all off, the paper is FSC certified which guarantees its sourced from environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable managed forests.
Green Invoicing
We prefer sending invoices, statements and reminders electronically. Sending this information electronically uses less energy and requires less printing - most ink is toxic so when the paper biodegrades, the ink left behind can be damaging to the environment. This switch has meant benefits for all – more efficiency and speed for customers, less paper and ink use for the environment.
Its rather incredible that small changes can make such a big impact! Understanding the impact of purchasing decisions can be the first step towards change; and reducing our environmental footprint can be as simple as changing the office copy paper you print on!
Contact Us
Lets Chat!
Address
69 Dixon Street, Masterton
(Corner Dixon & Bannister Sts)
Contact
(06) 378 7351
Opening Hours
Mon - Fri
7:30 am – 5:30 pm