Outstanding start to recycling

 In three weeks the communities of the Wakatipu Basin have recycled 169.4 tonnes of household recyclables.


“It’s an impressive start,” Queenstown Lakes District Council utilities committee chairman John Mann said.


Last year, during the same period from October 22 to November 14, 210.65 tonnes of refuse went to the landfill. “We are on the right track to reach our 35% diversion target by year’s end for the Wakatipu Basin, it’s a good result,” Councillor Mann said.


Contamination of recyclables was a universal problem for recycling communities but the Wakatipu was also high achieving in this regard, according to QLDC solid waste manager Stefan Borowy:


“There is a small amount of contamination, which unfortunately does end up in the landfill, from people putting the wrong items such as nappies, plastic bags and food in the recycling bins. This amounts to about 3% which is quite low compared with other areas in New Zealand where contamination can often get up to 10%,” Mr Borowy said.


The council had placed a strong focus on good educational material in the roll-up to recycling. “That has really paid dividends, given that there have been relatively few problems we have a high recycling buy in,” Mr Borowy said.


It was also really important that people understood what was happening to their recyclables, Councillor Mann said. The markets included:


The glass was crushed at the Parkburn Quarry near Cromwell and blended with aggregate to be used as sub-base in roads in the Queenstown Lakes District.
Paper and card was processed and re-used in New Zealand, in main producing cardboard products.
Aluminium and steel were also re-used in New Zealand. Aluminium was baled and taken to a smelter, melted down and turned into aluminium ingots.
In the steel plant, the bales of cans were put into the furnace with other recyclable steel and formed into big slabs which were then rolled into coils and used for all sorts of steel products, such as fencing wire, car exhaust tubes, roofing steel, and reinforcing rods.
Plastics were exported and re-used as plastic/fleece/polypropylene. Old drinks bottles for example were chipped, washed, melted and blown into a wool-like material that was then spun and printed.


“You never know where your recyclables will end up. That’s the beauty of re-use. It’s not only a great concept; it’s absolutely imperative to global sustainability. I’m proud to say this district is doing its part,” Councillor Mann said.