glass packaging forum making a difference in the community

Transcription

1 glass packaging forum making a difference in the community

2 Every year New Zealanders use around 240,000 tonnes of glass containers which is equivalent to around 950 million glass bottles and jars of varying sizes. That s a lot of glass and it s great that over two thirds of this already gets recycled. The best possible end use for glass is recycling it into new glass containers and the Glass Packaging Forum works with councils and communities around the country to help collect glass so that it is ready for the furnace. However over the past seven years we have also helped develop some alternative uses for recovered glass because life isn t always perfect and we know that glass bottles aren t always collected in a way that is going to make them suitable for remanufacture. In this show and tell guide we share some of the ways in which we are helping to increase glass recovery using the glass levies raised from our members. What s the best way to collect glass bottles? Well we may be biased but the best way to collect glass is by encouraging people to separate the glass bottles by colour (green, brown and clear). We have been working with councils and suppliers and commissioned glass bottle banks for use at hospitality venues, campsites and resource recovery sites etc around the country. 26 bottle banks have been placed around the country from Auckland in the north to Queenstown in the south both in city and rural locations. One of the additional benefits is that bottle banks provide an opportunity to further educate the community to separate glass by colour.

3 glass bottle banks In the UK and other countries, lots of people take their glass back to Bottle Banks located at supermarkets or other centres in the community. We have been slowly reintroducing the concept into New Zealand... Fibreglass Glass Bottle Bank These fibreglass bottle banks have three 240 litre wheelie bins inside a surround for brown, green and clear glass to be sorted by public when depositing bottles into marked holes. Glass Bottle Banks installed in permanent locations have taken only a short period of time for the public to deposit bottles on a regular basis. 25 of these glass bottle banks are now in place around New Zealand. SUPPlIEr: McFarlane s Fibreglass Engineering

4 Fibreglass Mobile Glass Bintainer At the request of event organisers and councils, we have introduced a light weight portable 'glass bintainer' into the mix. Horse of the Year Show Hastings These bintainers are suitable for use at events because of their light weight and ability to be easily relocated to venues that require temporary facilities. However we are also finding that these are preferred as permanent bottle banks. The bintainer locks your wheelie bins in a fibreglass container designed and manufactured in New Zealand in a colour of your choosing. Green, clear and brown glass is put into marked holes and captured in 240 litre wheelie bins. The bintainer is suitable for use at sports grounds, motels/hotels, retail/shopping malls, camping grounds, golf courses, hospitals, petrol stations, schools, restaurants, stadiums and parks. SUPPlIEr: Tru-tech Fibreglass Industries Ltd

5 resource recovery facilities - glass pods and bunkers We have supported several councils that have introduced glass 'bunkers' or 'pods' at their Resource Recovery Facilities to allow people to separate their glass when they drop it off. Glass Pods Dunedin Council s Glass Pods now collect around 16 to 18 tonnes of colour separated glass each month.

6 before Glass Bunkers Taupo District Council have extended their glass bunker facilities so that more glass could be collected to optimise processing and transport. Before the glass bunkers were installed, glass bottles were 'tipped' onto the concrete floor which meant colours got mixed and glass was contaminated. The bunkers collect around 200 tonnes of glass each year. BEforE after

7 equipment to help glass collection Glass Funnel We know that collecting glass separately might require some additional equipment so we helped Marlborough DC via O-I New Zealand to purchase a freestanding hopper which can be fitted to the top of containers to facilitate the loading of the glass. This removes the risk of the material falling onto the surrounding ground or accumulating on the top of the container. This has resulted in additional quality glass being returned to O-I for use in the furnace.

8 kerbside collections We supported the design and development of the 'separated at source' bin which allows glass to be kept separate from other recyclables in one bin. This helps stop the breakages and contamination which occur when glass is commingled with other packaging materials. Wheelie Bins Mouldings Unlimited is a small manufacturer which designed the separated at source bin working with TBL Solutions and initially Palmerston North Council. SUPPlIEr: Moulding Unlimited We also helped Central Otago Wastebusters buy glass recycling bins to extend collections into eight additional communities in the Central Otago area.

9 Recycling Bag trial at Waihi Beach Waihi Beach is a community with a large proportion of holiday homes resulting in a fluctuating population which has had to travel to a recycling centre some distance away to recycle its waste packaging. During April 2013 along with the Western Bay of Plenty District Council the Forum helped fund a kerbside trial to determine its effectiveness. Some 825 households participated in the 5 week trial using 60 litre plastic bags to collect their packaging putting it out on the same days as for their refuse. Approximately 70% of the material collected by weight was glass. 75% participants indicated that they would be happy to pay for the collection bags to support such a service and it is likely that figure would rise amongst householders still using the recycling centre when the convenience of kerbside collections is fully appreciated. CONSUlTANT: Waste Watchers Ltd

10 alternative uses for glass Not all glass collected is able to be processed into new glass containers either because of the way it is collected or because the cost of returning the glass to Auckland may be prohibitive. When this happens, it s important there are other uses for the glass containers so it doesn t end up in the landfill. Use in construction and roads One of the first projects funded by the Forum in 2006 was to help develop the Transit M4 basecourse specification for use of up to 5% crushed recycled glass as an aggregate for use in basecourse and sub-base products. Since then we have incentivised contractors to utilize otherwise 'unusable' glass containers in their aggregate mix.

11 Sports facilities We have also funded a ground breaking piece of research into the use of sand in the construction of golf course greens and sports fields with a grant over a period of three years to the NZ Sports Institute. The trials have demonstrated the viability to use glass sand as a topdressing medium for golf course greens.

12 public place recycling In a recent survey conducted by Horizon research, 85% 1 ratepayers say they have access to kerbside recycling. However away from home it has been more difficult to find recycling options. We know that around 30% of glass is typically consumed away from home so the Forum has committed to the Love NZ public place recycling programme which it currently manages on behalf of the government. Public Place Recycling Bins Working with councils we agreed the specifications and design of Love NZ lids for standard 240 litre wheelie bins which are being used around the country at events. We adopted the internationally recognised colours for recycling and that means blue bin lids are used for glass collections (red for waste, yellow for mixed recycling, green for organics). The design features a clip mechanism to the wheelie bin. The weight per bin lid is 3kg. The bin can be accessed from either side. The bin lids are stackable and shipped in units of 10. SUPPlIEr: Moulding Unlimited 1 Horizon Research surveyed 2050 respondents nationwide in April The survey is weighted to provide a representative sample of the NZ population. At a confidence level of 95%, the maximum margin of error is=/-2.2%

13 recycling at events For the past three years we have sponsored recycling and waste management at the Classic Hits Winery Tour. This has given us a firsthand understanding of the need for effective consumer awareness coupled with the availability of recycling bins to get the public to 'do the right thing' when they are out and about. In addition we have worked with councils and community groups up and down the country to introduce recycling at their events. Lantern Festival Restyle Hamilton Easter Jazz Festival Horse of the Year Smoke Free Rockquest Classic Hits Wine Tour Nationwide Lantern Festival

14 Some of the Councils GPF has been working with 1 Nelson Westland Queenstown Auckland Hamilton Otorohanga Ruapehu New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Marlborough Kaikoura Christchurch Ashburton Timaru Dunedin Invercargill Whangarei Thames Coromandel Waikato Tauranga Rotorua Taupo Gisborne Napier Hastings Porirua Upper Hutt Hutt City Wellington 1 Partners in the Love NZ public place recycling programme

15 GLASS ISN T JUST A CONTAINER... IT CAN BE MANY THINGS While returning glass to the furnace may be the preferred option - if this is not practicable there are always options other than landfill. GOLF COURSES Trials by The New Zealand Sports Turf Institute tested the use of recycled crushed glass in lawn improvement, construction of golf greens and in the top dressing. Glass found to be satisfactory as a alternative to sand. filtration Research and tests on glass as a filter medium for waste water treatment. infrastructure Satisfactory collection systems require appropriate and adequate infrastructure and the Forum has assisted in providing support to numerous local authorities and community recovery programmes. roading Supported Transit New Zealand in amending its specification for MD4 material to enable recovered crushed glass to be used in road base. collection bins Development of a new separated at source bin allowing glass to be collected at kerbside in a separate compartment of a recycling bin to stop the breakages and contamination which occur when glass is commingled with other recyclables. photo : sandihurst winery mulch Wineries that have trialled glass have all reported significant gains in yield. building slabs Trials using both pre prepared crushed glass or rolling over bottles laid within the building profiles met building requirements. A formal engineering report is available. Please contact : donna.glassforum@xtra.co.nz Do you need any funding assistance to stop glass containers going to landfill? GET IN TOUCH WITH John Webber john@glassforum.org.nz

16 glass packaging forum Glass Packaging Forum Inc PO Box Botany Auckland 2163 phone : donna@glassforum.org.nz