Sorting out our recycling habits
People are being asked to stop buying food wrapped in plastics which can’t be recycled as part of an initiative to clean up our rubbish behaviour.
Residents in the Waipa¯ district could also have their recycling bins audited, to see if there’s more advice needed around what can and can’t be recycled.
It’s all part of an education initiative Waipa¯ District Council and its recycling contractor, Metallic Sweeping, plan over the coming months.
The two will use the new sorting centre in Te Awamutu to demonstrate what happens to recycling once it’s collected from homes.
Public tours are planned, the first already has 80 places booked for July 15. School tours will follow.
Journalists were first though, at a recent tour, led by the council’s operations team leader Jennifer Braithwaite and Metallic’s operations manager Caleb Ahu.
Braithwaite said the global market demand for recycling plastic grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 has dropped because they are difficult to make into other products.
These plastics are used to wrap meat in trays, biscuits, sushi or to make yoghurt pots and squeeze bottles to name a few.
Council stopped accepting these types for recycling in June 2019.
‘‘We don’t have a market for them and we’re asking customers not to put them into recycling bins,’’ Braithwaite said.
‘‘Our education programme will be around encouraging people not to buy any products that are wrapped in those plastics, to look at alternatives.’’
Braithwaite said plastic grades 1, 2 and 5 are the easiest to recycle and have good market value for recycling.
These are used to make soft drink or water bottles or milk and cream bottles, for example.
The new sorting centre was opened in March and is key to removing ‘‘contaminants’’.
Operations manager Caleb Ahu said he continued to be surprised by what people thought could be recycled.
‘‘One day we had a whole sheep fleece head up the sort line.
‘‘Today we’ve had a drill come through and a tool box.
‘‘Something like a bit of oil or paint, if that got mixed up it could potentially spoil a large amount of recycling.’’
Ahu said random bin inspections would help educate people.