Trailer recycling proves a hit
Rural Western Bay of Plenty residents will soon have easier access to recycling, thanks to specially designed trailers with unusual names. The trailers, which were part funded by a $12,000 Glass Packaging Forum grant, have had enthusiastic feedback from the community. The council also ran a contest to name them.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council resource recovery and waste team leader Ilze Kruis says it is anticipated the two trailers will hit the road in the coming months, with a schedule available soon on the council’s website.
The trailers were rolled out on four days in July and August so residents could check them out, dispose of their recyclables and give feedback on what roster they would prefer for the trailers in their areas.
“We also held a vote on which names to give the trailers through our Facebook page. In the end it was Sustainabox and Recyclosaurus Rex with the most votes.” Feedback from residents has been very positive, she says, with comments such as “please continue the service”, “we just love the service”, “this service covers everything I need” and “brilliant setup – keep this going”.
“It’s clear the trailers are going to be well used, so we look forward to seeing how much recyclable material we collect with them.”
Ilze says council held a rural recycling drop-off trial from November 2019 to July 2020 that was very successful despite disruptions caused by Covid-19 lockdowns.
The trial had over 21 tonnes of colour-sorted glass and nearly 6 tonnes of paper, cardboard, plastic and tins and cans collected.
She expects to collect about 2.5 tonnes of glass a month with the trailers, depending on the season.
“When we checked the numbers for the recyclables collected at the Te Puke Community Recycle Centre, we saw no drop during the rural recycling trial. This suggests a large portion of the material recovered during the trial may otherwise have gone to landfill.”
Glass Packaging Forum Scheme manager Dominic Salmon says he applauds the council for not only coming up with a practical way to help rural residents recycle but for engaging so well with them about it.
“Rural residents are just as keen as those in urban areas to do the right thing, but long travel distances to recycling centres in town can make this challenging. Well done to Ilze and her team for taking the service to the community,” Dominic says.
The Glass Packaging Forum (GPF) was established in 2006 and is part of The Packaging Forum, which is dedicated to developing product stewardship across packaging materials and the packaging supply chain. The GPF meets its objectives through the management of its independent, accredited product stewardship scheme.
A primary function of the GPF is to ensure as much waste container glass (bottles and jars) as possible is diverted from landfill. This is done through the provision of infrastructure to improve glass recovery and facilitate glass recycling and through research of alternative uses for waste glass. These activities are supported by a comprehensive consumer awareness programme.
The GPF is funded through its membership, which pay a voluntary levy related directly to the volume of glass each sells into the New Zealand marketplace.