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A west coast council does not want its residents to recycle paper and cardboard, because it is too expensive.
And it’s not just the local authority that throws the recycling into the too-hard bin.
This week, the Buller District Council was forced to clarify its position after declaring that the humble box of cereal was banned from recycling bins.
Cereal boxes and cookie and biscuit boxes too, the council claimed, were made of “cardboard,” rather than paper or cardboard.
The city council continues to accept paper and cardboard, but says it is discouraging residents from taking it out for pickup.
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Waste coordinator Juliana Ruiz said that because it was shipped to India, it was too expensive.
Grant Matthew / Stuff
Many municipalities are no longer accepting colored PET plastics.
“What we want to do is reduce the amount of material that is sent abroad. Ideally, we should not receive any of these types of materials, “he said.
Ruiz said the council planned to phase out paper and cardboard from the recycling stream until New Zealand had the capacity to recycle it.
The council posted a handy checklist on its website for dos and don’ts.
The prohibited items included colored plastic bottles, margarine containers, shampoo bottles, and detergent bottles, despite being made of accepted No. 1 or 5 plastic.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
New Zealand’s recycling options are decreasing due to fewer export options.
In contrast, clear plastics like soda and water bottles, mayonnaise bottles, meat trays, and milk bottles are acceptable for recycling.
Despite the “cardboard” ban, glossy magazines are still accepted, but aerosol cans, strangely accepted in most recycling collections, are gone.
Other councils are also cracking down on collections while waiting for the government to provide a meaningful solution.
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Sidewalk pickups show bad recycling habits.
This week, the Otago Central District Council also announced changes to its curbside recycling beginning December 1, which will mean that only clear plastics will be collected there.
Environmental engineering manager Quinton Penniall said that meat trays and fruit baskets, while the number one plastic, are also not recyclable.
Those items could only be accepted for processing on land by municipalities with an optical sorter, which Central Otago did not have.
Even in Kaikōura, the former South Island recycling mecca with impressive landfill diversion rates exceeding 70 percent for years, recycling became too expensive.
This despite a promise of $ 40,000 from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund to replace and improve the recycling stations.
The council has been consulting on its waste services and proposes offering “little or no recycling services”, preferring to save money on the whole planet.
The government announced earlier this year that it would invest $ 124 million in waste reduction, including $ 36.7 million to upgrade seven recycling plants from Northland to Canterbury.
Emma Dangerfield / Stuff
Recycling Kaikōura could be a thing of the past as the council weighs the cost.
High-tech optical sorters will be installed to speed up the sorting process to separate different materials.
Environment Minister David Parker said the funding would help New Zealand improve its recycling game.
“There is no coherent or coordinated system across the country and this makes it difficult for New Zealanders to have confidence in how to recycle.
“We have a long way to go to reach the countries that do well, but this [funding] It’s a good start ”.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / THINGS
Recycling or Trash: What Goes in Which Bins in Greater Christchurch? And what about those plastic lids that look like recyclable?
WasteMINZ Sustainability Advisor Sarah Pritchett said that whether an item could be collected in curbside recycling or not determined whether an end market existed.
For this reason, many councils are moving away from collecting colored plastics, he said.
Pritchett said some municipalities ended up paying for paper and cardboard to be sent abroad for recycling.
Eco-Educate’s Lesley Ottey said kiwis needed to adopt the mindset of reducing rather than recycling.
“If no one is carrying it, there is no point collecting it,” he said.
“People need to help solve the problem. There are two sides to a sheet of paper, you can put a no spam sign on your mailbox, and you can be careful when shopping. ”
Ottey said that bulk food stores were a great place to start.
“The foreign market has significantly worsened and now we are seeing the reality of our waste problem.
“The sooner we have product management, the better.”
The recycling rules in summary
- Some town halls accept all plastics 1, 2 and 5, while others only accept transparent plastics 1, 2 and 5.
- Some accept paper and cardboard, others do not.
- Caps must be removed, unless you live in a district that requires you to leave them on.
- Do not crush plastic or cans unless instructed to do so, in which case, crush.
- Check a recycling number, then ignore it and check with your local city hall.
- Repeat step 5 and try another staff member.
- Stay up-to-date with rule changes in your area and be patient with law enforcement; they have probably gotten over it too.
