New Zealand becomes more self-sufficient with waste management after Auckland recycling facility upgrade

A major upgrade of Auckland's recycling facility means about 2,000 extra tonnes of plastic can now be recycled in NZ.

New Zealand has become more self-sufficient with waste management thanks to a major upgrade of Auckland's recycling facility.

About 2,000 extra tonnes of plastic can now be recycled there, saving some from landfill, after China stopped processing much of NZ’s recyclables.

The new optical sorting technology allows Auckland's plastic to be correctly sorted for the first time, and coloured plastics numbered two and any plastic number fives can now be identified.

"It's a cool machine because what it does, it's got light and infrared technology in it and it can actually pick up a signal based on what plastic type it is, and then you've got air jets that shoot it up into different compartments, basically sorting the product out,” Auckland Council waste solutions manager Parul Sood said.

Previously, plastic number two was going to overseas markets, and plastic number five has gone to landfill since June.

"The process wasn't there to actually sort fives out... what we were able to do is send the mixed bails to overseas markets... but then the markets crashed, so we had a big problem on our hands," said Sood.

"To be able to put infrastructure in place, to be able to sort the product out and give it to someone who can reprocess is really good."

Astron Sustainability deals to 15,000 tonnes of plastic packaging each year.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said, "our plastics are just under 8,000 tonnes a year, created by Aucklanders, and we want to recycle most of that."

"Ninety-nine per cent of that is recyclable but now we'll be able to do 35 per cent of it on shore, sooner or later we'll get to 100 per cent on shore, that should be our target."

Astron Sustainability, a plastic waste processor, already deals to 15,000 tonnes a year, but with the upgrade, that will now increase.

"We believe there's about 2,200 tonnes of additional plastic that will be recycled locally,” general manager Steve Mead said.

"It means that we need to invest in additional equipment and recruit new employees."

The company's washplant will now operate 24/7.

The raw material Astron creates from the new material they're set to receive will be used to make a range of products, including Zealandia flowerpots, construction materials and wheelie bins for the whole country.

“Just the fact, [people] knowing they're using a bin made out of recycled content, just adds to the story of what we're trying to achieve as a nation,” Sulo Group NZ business manager Glen Kolose told 1 NEWS.

"With [our] crates, there's a standard percentage of at least 30 per cent of recycled content, and with wheelie bins we look at least 10 per cent."

Mead also said more "downstream demand" is needed for the recycled raw plastic material.

"There is a lot of work being done by a number of companies, to improve their equipment and processes so that they can accommodate more recycled content."

There are still plastics that aren't easily recyclable, including threes, fours, sixes and sevens.

Councillor Richard Hills chairs the Environment and Climate Change Committee.

“Manufacturers are strongly encouraged to stop using these hard to recycle plastic materials for grocery items. This is less than 1 per cent of the plastics collected in kerbside recycling,” he said.

Visy continues to explore markets and options for these plastics to maximise recycling of the kerbside bin.

In another effort to slow the stream of plastic waste, tomorrow consultation ends on the proposal to phase out more single use items, including straws and plastic cutlery.

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