PrattWhitney Air New Zealand Engineering Centre Electroplating Workshop

A new project we have added to the projects page of our website is the funding of  Tech Design and Consultancy Ltd, with a $5,000 grant to assist with a feasibility study, prototype trials and patent searches for their heavy metal filtration system, carried out in 2010. The focus of the project was to determine the effectiveness of using a modified wool copolymer product to filter out heavy metals that are commonly discharged into the rinse water stream from the electroplating industry. In Christchurch, the waste currently enters the Bromley sludge ponds, or is deposited into the ocean via offshore pipelines.

This project is an example of a waste stream that not many people will be thinking about. A waste stream from the manufacturing of a certian element of a product and there must be so much more like this that have a massive impact on the environment but we just can’t see it. Mostly because we only buy the product in its final stage. This is where cradle to cradle , full product life cycle impact analysis, product stewardship schemes and business leadership and responsibility is crucial in really reducing the waste produced from the stuff we buy and the impact it has on the environment.

Read more about the Tech Design project.

Plasback Scheme Mgr Chris Hartshorne & Agpac GM Chris Dawson

Earlier in the week Plasback’s Chris Hartshorne (of the Agpac/Plasback project that SIFT funded – more here and here for the blog post on the TV3 story) announced that they have exported 30 tonnes of plastic resin to Australia and Korea. This plastic resin is made up of the on-farm waste plastics that they have collected, such as used baleage wrap.

Chris Hartshorne stated:

“Our on-farm collection service and the tonnage of waste plastic we collected grew considerably last year and we expect that trend to continue in 2011. More farmers and contractors have joined Plasback, and those who use the recycling scheme  are learning how to maximise the efficiency of the collection service and minimise their costs. Plasback is a user pays scheme. There are no expensive levies placed on manufacturers or importers as we place greater emphasis on adding value to the waste stream as this in turn supports the collections from farms”.

“The government of NZ emphasises that product stewardship is the way of the future. The means manufacturers and consumers take responsibility for the full life of the products they use. The Plasback scheme plays an important role in helping the rural sector look after the environment that they and we all depend upon.”

Congratulations to Chris and the Plasback team – this is a great win for the environment and great leap forward for Product Stewardship in New Zealand.

14012011 Agpac Media Release Plasback resin sale

Yesterday TV3 interviewed me for a story on the Agpac Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme. Unfortunately, my bit and a mention of SIFT was not used in the story. But, it is still a good story from Jessica Rowe and great promotion for the Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme.

Story text.

Video.

SIFT 2010 Christmas Tree

The 100% Recyclable and Compostable Christmas Tree

Here at the Sustainable Initiatives Fund office we enjoy getting in the Christmas spirit while implementing our core values of sustainability and minimisation of wastestreams. For these reasons, it was fitting for our office Christmas tree to be one which embodies the three R’s, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The ‘tree’ is made from bamboo shoots and assembled with unbleached twine.  We created our own decorations by using outdated business flyers: creating stars, Christmas chain and even a little angel. The decorations were held together and hung with cotton and we added small torn calico bows and finished the look off with a tree-topping star made from old office file dividers. Through creativity we have made a 100% recyclable and compostable* Christmas tree. The finishing product was so good that it will be the face of SIFT’s 2010 Christmas card!

Let us know how you are reducing your waste this Christmas.

Milk bottles being processed at Comspec

At SIFT we like to have ongoing relationships with those people that we have funded or given some financial assistance to especially during the course of the project with regular meetings and catch ups (especially if there are milestones associated with the project). I visited the lovely and hard working team of Robert & Stephanie Fowler of Comspec, in Hornby, this morning to catch up on how they going with recycling the majority of the South Island’s plastic milk bottles and to just say hi. To quote Martha Stewart what they are doing is “a good thing”.

You can read more of the good work that they are doing and how SIFT are helping them to do it here.

Comspec website.

This week, the waste industry affiliated organisations and businesses have met in Auckland for the Waste Minz Conference. The SIFT General Manager, Olivia Day is currently in attendance.

The latest announcement from the conference is that Environment Minister, Nick Smith has launched the New Zealand Waste Strategy.

Key themes within the strategy was the collaborative approach dealing with waste efficiently within industry, whilst focusing on the reduction of the harmful effects of waste and efficiency of resource usage.

The minister also announced that there has been funding provided to the Auckland based, Tyre Gone Processors Limited – to the tune of $300,000 to expand the plant. The tyre processing operation was applauded as having “developed the country’s first 100% green self-sustaining recycling plant to turn our millions of used tyres into light fuel oil, gas, carbon and steel using a process called pyrolysis”.*

Nick Smith also made mention of the number of product stewardship schemes that are arising within different industries. This further demonstrates the Minister’s current focus for companies to be working cooperatively with Ministry towards achieving waste minimisation goals, that corporate responsibility needs to have equal focus to improving the businesses bottom line.

This is great news for SIFT project’s such as the Agpac, Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme that focused on the promotion of educational tools to get South Island based farmers interested in recycling agricultural plastic wrapping, rather than relying on harmful traditional means of disposal such as burning the plastic.

The Waste Strategy is available at: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/waste-strategy/index.html

* http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/kiwi-inventors-create-quotno-8-wirequot-global-pollution-solution-shipping-conta/5/36615

Educating communities on sustainability is one of the core aims of the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust. Whether it be how to change what and how we consume, how to adopt new sustainable practices within industry, or communicating sustainable developments and innovation. SIFT has been a longtime supporter of the Untouched World Charitable Trust as they developed  the Tiromoana Programme in Canterbury. The programme focused on educating 16 and 17 year olds, in a week long intensive camp. The teaching was focused on exploring the processes of consumption and the life cycles of the materials we use every day. The objective was to demonstrate how it is necessary to be consider sustainable means of consumption and production so that the same resources will be available for future generations to enjoy. The Programme was used as a legacy item for the future development of teaching materials in schools.

There are many resources that can be utilised by parents and teachers, to get children thinking about waste management and recycling:

SIFT Website

NZ Forest and Bird

Zero Waste New Zealand Trust

Untouched World

Comspec have a flash new website with a great video on the opening of the plant. You can read more about how the Sustainable Initiatives Fund helped Comspec here with finanical assitance in the form of a loan or check out their video here.

Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme - Photo copyright Agpac

Congratulations to the team at Plasback for achieving government accreditation of their Voluntary Product Stewardship scheme. They received their accreditation for on farm collecton and then recycling of agricultural plastics along with the Glass Packaging Forum who are focussed on reducing glass that goes to landfill. Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme is the first for the agricultural sector. SIFT granted Agpac (who administer the scheme) funds for a Canterbury focussed education campaign for farmers on the collection scheme. Along with the development of an easy to understand brochure for farmers there was also radio, tv and press advertising. Through the Plasback scheme Agpac are looking to collect 200 tonnes of agricultural plastics by the end of this winter from Canterbury farms.

When the plastics have been collected they are sent to Mastagard for recycling and then reused as recycled plastic feedstock for new products.

The Hon. Dr. Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment said in the press release ” I would encourage other industries to recognise the economic and environmental benefits of product stewardship and get accredited” – we agree.

photo: SIFT

One of our current long term projects is the financial assistance (in the form of a loan) we gave to Comspec in Hornby. We have written about them before on this blog but I thought it was time for site visit. Actually going to where the action takes place, talking to those who make it happen and being amongst the process gives a much thorough understanding of how we have helped.

So, this morning I met Robert and Stephanie Fowler at their plastic recycling plant in Hornby. After going through some background info on what they do I was given a site tour. At one end you have baled plastic milk bottles waiting their turn to be shredded, then washed and then the resulting flakes are formed into resin pellets that are then turned into irrigation piping. A very simplified explanation but in a nut shell that is it and in person it is pretty clear to see the process work from one end of the plant to the other.

photo: SIFT

Shredded plastic Photo: SIFT

In the past empty plastic milk bottles had been packed up and sent to China where they were recycled there. Now, with Compsec’s plant, plastic milk bottles can be recycled “on shore” and provide a feedstock of plastic resin for use in New Zealand (reducing the amount of virigin resin imported into NZ). On shore recycling (especially with New Zealand’s location in the world) will reduce the impact of transportation of materials going overseas thus reducing CO2 emissions from shipping. Plus, the Comspec process can save an average of 1 tonne of CO2 per tonne of plastic that is recycled, further reducing our impactful carbon footprint.

With a network of collectors around the South Island Comspec aims to recycle 1000 tonnes of plastic milk bottles each year. With a 110,000 milk bottles making up a tonne that’s a lot of milk bottles.

SIFT’s focus is to continue to help those who require financial assistance to develop a project that will reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills which will in turn help to develop a strong network of commerically viable businesses and individual projects throughout Canterbury that can sustainable continue making an impact. Not only will this make Canterbury a healthy environment to live in but will also help the Canterbury and New Zealand economies.

Thanks to Robert Fowler for taking time out of his busy morning to show me ’round.

You can read more about Comspec here.

You can also see all the photos from the Comspec launch here on Flickr.