Uni puts a lid on plastics recycling
them in the search for Carroll’s cows.
Barry Moar, who runs a local deer-recovery business, A university is calling on students and staff to stop recycling certain plastics following China’s ban on importing waste products.
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) started putting up signs and photos about the move which will see yoghurt pottles, sushi containers and coffee cups go straight into the rubbish bin.
The university had been told by its recycling suppliers that lent Carroll a pilot and a helicopter for an aerial search.
Between the searching farmers and two flights over the region, Carroll managed to find most of the missing cows, leaving 40 dead or missing.
‘‘The amazing thing is how resilient they are,’’ he says. ‘‘Some of them were washed up to 20 kilometres downriver, and wherever their feet hit the ground, they just got out and started wandering around.’’ plastics graded 3 to 7 had to be separated in order to not contaminate waste and it could face a fine of $6000 if the wrong plastics were found in recycling.
Plastics graded 3 to 7 included items such as plastic takeaway containers, cling wrap, plastic cutlery and milk or fruit juice cartons. However recycling bins were still accepting plastics graded 1 to 2 which included food jars and water bottles.
AUT’s sustainability adviser WARWICK SMITH / STUFF
The cows were scattered along the banks of the Manawatu River – and one was found ambling down the road near Ashhurst, nearly 30km from home.
Others had managed to get themselves stuck deep in the blackberry brambles on a nearby reserve.
Carroll and his staff spent days hacking paths through dense, 10-foot-tall, bramble patches to get them out. Lindsey du Preez said the changeover had taken place quite quickly, and social media, photos and written stories had spread the message.
With a long-term goal to be zero waste across all of its campuses, AUT’s food outlets were re-looking at the takeaway containers they offered and there had been conversations with different departments about what kind of plastics their supplier used, du Preez said.