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Thursday, September 16th, 2010 by SophieR
Quick – Fire Thursday
Any one you would like us to press for answers? Send your interviewee suggestions and questions to
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Q and A with Gareth James – General Manager of Transpacific Waste Management South Island. Topic: Post Earthquake Waste Management.
1) One week after the earthquake, how well do you think the Canterbury region has dealt with the clean up from the earthquake?
Extraordinarily well. It is a credit to all involved, who have stepped up and ensured that Christchurch avoids major potential health issues from rotting food waste.
2) Was there an action plan in place to deal with waste following a natural disaster?
For many aspects there was, but the food waste “mountain” was probably not expected. A plan for the tens of thousands of tonnes of spoiled food waste was quickly developed between Transpacific Waste Management, CCC2, and the perishable food waste haulers early last week and is working well. The Christchurch kerbside collection system continued as per normal, will full collection services around even the damaged parts of the City.
The perishable waste is being moved out of the City through a 24 hr per day operation involving transport haulers, transfer stations, CWS waste transport to Kate Valley and the landfill itself. Drivers and operators have been brought in from around NZ to allow trucks and the landfill to be double-shifted (ie essentially non-stop), and this will continue for at least another week.
3) Has there been more demolition waste/materials disposed of than what was initially anticipated?
The waste mountain from Sunday onwards into transfer stations and thence to the Kate Valley Landfill has been almost exclusively perishable food waste from distribution centres, supermarkets, breweries, etc who have to remove the contaminated food waste urgently from their premises. The earthquake demolished most high rack storage systems in these large warehouses, and bottles smashed, spilling alcohol, sauces and the like over all of the other products, creating a stew of vile smelling putrescible waste. This waste has taken priority over all other waste material and will continue to do so for the next two to three weeks (as the cool stores start getting cleaned out).
There has been little demolition waste at transfer stations as this is all going to cleanfills in and around Christchurch. The public had a steady stream of demolition type waste material into the three CCC2 public transfer stations over the weekend, but not a lot more than on a normal weekend. This material goes to cleanfill, not landfill.
4) Was/is waste management made enough of a priority following a natural disaster? and do you think that with an urgency to cleanup and demolish unsafe buildings, the effects on the waste streams are too much of an after thought?
It was a major priority of Transpacific Waste Management, CCC2 (Christchurch City owned company), Civil Defense, and Christchurch City. Civil Defense gave urgent dispensations from consents and other legal impediments to moving all types of waste materials away from the damaged sites, which assisted greatly. The priority accorded was what was needed.
5) Are there any key waste tips that you can suggest for people who are still cleaning up their houses and properties?
Don’t rush to take the rubble type material to transfer stations, as we need to get rid of the putrescible waste first. Don’t put rubble into wheelie bins, as they become too heavy to lift.
Quick – Fire Thursday
Q and A with Gareth James – General Manager of Transpacific Waste Management South Island. Topic: Post Earthquake Waste Management.
Q) One week after the earthquake, how well do you think the Canterbury region has dealt with the clean up from the earthquake?
A) Extraordinarily well. It is a credit to all involved, who have stepped up and ensured that Christchurch avoids major potential health issues from rotting food waste.
Q) Was there an action plan in place to deal with waste following a natural disaster?
A) For many aspects there was, but the food waste “mountain” was probably not expected. A plan for the tens of thousands of tonnes of spoiled food waste was quickly developed between Transpacific Waste Management, CCC2, and the perishable food waste haulers early last week and is working well.
The perishable waste is being moved out of the City through a 24 hr per day operation involving transport haulers, transfer stations, CWS waste transport to Kate Valley and the landfill itself.
Q) Has there been more demolition waste/materials disposed of than what was initially anticipated?
A) The waste mountain from Sunday onwards into transfer stations and thence to the Kate Valley Landfill has been almost exclusively perishable food waste from distribution centres, supermarkets, breweries, etc who have to remove the contaminated food waste urgently from their premises. The earthquake demolished most high rack storage systems in these large warehouses, and bottles smashed, spilling alcohol, sauces and the like over all of the other products, creating a stew of vile smelling putrescible waste. This waste has taken priority over all other waste material and will continue to do so for the next two to three weeks (as the cool stores start getting cleaned out).
There has been little demolition waste at transfer stations as this is all going to cleanfills in and around Christchurch.
Q) Was/is waste management made enough of a priority following a natural disaster? Do you think that with an urgency to cleanup and demolish unsafe buildings, the effects on the waste streams are too much of an after thought?
A) It was a major priority of Transpacific Waste Management, CCC2 (Christchurch City owned company), Civil Defense, and Christchurch City. Civil Defense gave urgent dispensations from consents and other legal impediments to moving all types of waste materials away from the damaged sites, which assisted greatly. The priority accorded was what was needed.
Q) Are there any key waste tips that you can suggest for people who are still cleaning up their houses and properties?
A) Don’t rush to take the rubble type material to transfer stations, as we need to get rid of the putrescible waste first. Don’t put rubble into wheelie bins, as they become too heavy to lift.
SIFT would like to thank Gareth for taking the time to answer our questions. For more information on waste management in Canterbury visit:
Posted in Business & Sustainability, Questions & Answers, SIFT, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 by SophieR
As Christchurch works through day five, post earthquake, demolition of some of our most precious heritage sites is underway. Along with these heritage sites is the purposeful demolition of buildings of less historical importance, but ones that acted as landmarks within the inner suburbs.
Broken mortar, bricks, aluminum, glass, plastic piping, drains, concrete and the silt resulting from liquefaction – the next step will be figuring where all this useless material will be disposed. Certainly in times of emergency, recycling or careful disposal of building waste becomes irrelevant, as the priority remains clearing the streets of dangerous debris for the inhabitants of the city.
Is there room for future deliberation of how we dispose / recycle demolition waste when there is an emergency situation such as the events of 4th September 2010?
Currently there has been 17,000 claims made to EQC of house damage, and with the estimated cost climbing over $1 billion, the focus will no doubt turn to restoring or rebuilding as quickly and cheaply as possible. There will be an impact on Christchurch’s waste stream, but as with most post earthquake processes, the extent and repercussions of the damage will reveal itself in the months and years to come.
As Christchurch works through day five, post earthquake, demolition of some of our most precious heritage sites is underway. Along with these heritage sites is the purposeful demolition of buildings of less historical importance, but ones that acted as landmarks within the inner suburbs.
Broken mortar, bricks, aluminum, glass, plastic piping, drains, concrete and the silt resulting from liquefaction – the next step will be figuring where all this useless material will be disposed. Certainly in times of emergency, recycling or careful disposal of building waste becomes irrelevant, as the priority remains clearing the streets of dangerous debris for the inhabitants of the city.
Is there room for future deliberation of how we dispose / recycle demolition waste when there is an emergency situation such as the events of 4th September 2010?
There has been 17,000 claims made to EQC of house damage* and with the estimated cost climbing over $1 billion, the focus will no doubt turn to restoring or rebuilding as quickly and cheaply as possible. There will be an impact on Christchurch’s waste stream, but as with most post earthquake processes, the extent and repercussions of the damage will reveal itself in the months and years to come.
 Rubble from Christchurch Earthquake * Information sourced from www.stuff.co.nz
Tags: Christchurch earthquake, demolition, waste
Posted in Business & Sustainability, General, News on Sustainability, SIFT, Waste Management | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 by Admin
 Source: Flickr speckled_beckle's photostream Yesterday, most of the 164 applications for funding for waste project(s) from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund would have received a letter telling them their application has been turned down. Congratulations to the 29 who did make it through to the next stage – we are interested to see what these projects are. If this was you and your project is based in Canterbury have you thought about approaching the Sustainable Initiatives Fund for assistance?
The purpose of the Waste Minimisation Fund is not too dissimilar to the objectives of the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust. The WMF was developed to boost New Zealand’s performance in waste minimisation through educational, promotional, technological or infrastructure projects. The objectives of the Sustainable Initiatitives Fund Trust are about reducing or avoiding waste that goes specifically to Canterbury’s landfills through new technology/process or recovering new waste streams or by developing new products or technologies out of recovered materials. Other sub-objectives include creating useful sustainable educational applications from the products or technologies that are developed and/or creating sustainable energy products out of waste and/or creating sustainable job opportunties and contributing positively to Canterbury’s economy. The Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust is apart of a new generation of social lenders with the primary motivation of reducing negative environmental impacts – decreasing waste to landfill.
We have a number of projects on the go at the moment that are a mix of grants, loans and equity investments and cover a range of waste streams and issues. You can check out more of our past projects here.
We had a board meeting yesterday and again the board reiterated that projects need to show their reduction in environmental impact first and foremost. We are super keen to see the waste reduction numbers for the waste stream your project deals with.
If you have an idea that requires financial assistance we may be able to help. Call myself (Olivia Day, General Manager) to discuss if you are eligible and if we can help. Our number is 03 3655655.
Tags: financial assistance, funding, landfill, ministry for the environment, SIFT, sustainable, waste, Waste Minimisation fund
Posted in SIFT, Waste Management, social lending | No Comments »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010 by Admin
 Prof. Emeritus Arthur Williamson Long time SIFT Trustee, Professor Emeritus Arthur Williamson is our Green Collar Job Q&A for this week. Arthur Williamson is the founder of Thermocell, one of New Zealand’s leading solar water heating manufacturer and also former head of Chemical and Process Engineering and Dean of Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He has conducted extensive research on thermodynamics, industrial energy management and solar energy (and taught others on the subjects) for over 30 year. He is a wonderful source of information, expertise and insight to the science, technology and business management of SIFT projects. You can read more about Arthur here.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I try to reduce my domestic energy consumption by using efficient methods of doing things around the house like heating, lighting and refrigeration. I have solar water heating installed in my home. I also avoid fashion and trends so I wear my clothes until they are worn out – some of my items of clothing have patches especially on the elbows.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
I try to minimise my use of paper but not very successfully and am conscious of the waste produced and turn my computer off when I am not in the office.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
What relates to Christchurch are things that are of global significance such as vehicle fuel use – our use of fossil fuels for transport. And our expansion of the major ruminants in the interests of economic development which leads to excess water use, waterway pollution and the evolution of large amounts of extremely bad greenhouse gas called methane.
4. What makes you smile?
Jokes based on incongruity, which most are.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
My biggest pet peeve would be our obsession with monetary evaluation of all decision making processes.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Red because that’s what colours Ferraris are.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
My two favourite places are our holiday home in Bealey Spur and our house in Christchurch.
8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
I am a long time SIFT Trustee.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
My fourth form science class teacher at High School (Hutt Valley High) because she encouraged me to become a scientist.
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Your real immortality is your children and your grandchildren.
Whatever else you do is going ephemeral and will fade – almost all of the science I have done has been surpassed and is now out of date. I would like to think I have left behind some things that will influence the country for a better future, what those are I don’t know.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
I think the future will bring a recognition that we do need to reduce the population of the planet, it’s a major part of sustainability. Whether we can achieve that without killing each other off in resource wars will be a matter for the politicians.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
Bob Scott, one of my former bosses, is probably one of the most honest, clear thinking people I know.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
The sun is shining.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Cup of tea, toast and marmalade.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Just keep trying.
Tags: Arthur Williamson, future, Green Collar Job post, SIFT, Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust, sustainable living, Thermocell, University of Canterbury
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, SIFT | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 by Admin
 As well as being able to donate to SIFT directly here you can now do so on the lovely New Zealand donations site Givealittle. If you haven’t already come across Givealittle it is a great online tool for any fundraising you might have to do or if you feel like donating to a worthy organisation then you can find them at Givealittle. All the donations transactions are handled by Givealittle – super simple.
As their website says there are currently 593 Givealittle causes, 50 events and 405 listed organisations “doing good” on the website. It’s easy to use and a great way to do something more for your community, environment, nation or even family member or friend who might be fundraising.
You can find the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Givealittle profile here and we are grateful for any donations that come our way.
Tags: causes, donations, environment, fundraising, Givealittle, SIFT, Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust
Posted in SIFT | No Comments »
Monday, March 15th, 2010 by Admin
 Tim Burnside, Deloitte This week’s Green Collar Job Q&A is with Tim Burnside from Deloitte. Again, not strictly a green collar job but Tim has helped SIFT out with financial modelling for various projects over the past couple of years. Here are his answers to our Green Collar job questions:
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I separate and recycle my rubbish. Also, I buy lots of things second hand, although my family would say that’s got more to do with me being an accountant than a greenie.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
I think before printing whether it is really necessary and in addition all our printers are set by default to print duplex to minimise paper usage. I turn off lights in areas not being used and when I leave my office. We also try to teleconference as much as possible, rather than travel to meetings.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
How we manage our water resources more effectively. New Zealand is lucky to have a plentiful supply of water at present but I feel it needs to be managed to ensure it is put to the best possible use and also that it is not contaminated for future generations.
4. What makes you smile?
My family and in particular my youngest daughter Jyla who is 7 months old, her lovely smile is infectious.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Dead cabbage tree leaves that fall and make our backyard look untidy and then the fact that they can’t be put in the green bin and therefore have to fill up our red bin (which is only emptied every second week).
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Blue and Gold – something to do with being born and bred an Otago boy I think.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
No particular favourite comes to mind but I really enjoy the outdoors, whether it is mountain biking, walking or hiking, on the golf course, or working on the family farm.
8. What’s your connection to the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust?
Deloitte is SIFT’s preferred supplier for financial advisory services, particularly in relation to potential investments they are looking at making. I am responsible for managing the relationship with Linda and the team and ensuring SIFT receives the advice and service they require.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
I can’t recall a favourite teacher but I do have a lot of respect for a university tutor that had a particular knack of being extremely challenging and therefore ensuring that you were always well prepared, top of your game, and striving for bigger goals. All good attributes that serve you well in life.
10. What do you want to leave behind?
A world where my children and their children can live happily and safely.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Far greater environmental challenges than anything we currently imagine.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
My wife – after finding out she was pregnant in the first week of university she went on to complete a four year first class honours degree, get a great job, while bringing up a wonderful daughter, Brooke. She is extremely passionate and is currently doing a wonderful job of being a stay at home Mum for Jyla, while also setting up a home based web business and being a great support for Brooke & I.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
Not a lot that I can see. It is dark but I can hear the wind blowing down more Cabbage Tree leaves.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Weetbix with Rhubarb – you can’t beat it.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Always plan your work then work your plan.
Tags: community, Deloitte, environment, Green Collar Job, SIFT
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, SIFT | No Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010 by Admin
 Source: Flickr Ed's Photostream 11 Butterfly The Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust is a catalyst for change. We know (roughly) how much waste is generated, how much goes to landfill, what the negative environmental impacts are of that waste (leachate, toxins, global warming from methane emissions etc) and the amount of work and cultural behaviour change that is required to reduce how much waste is generated and sometimes that can be rather overwhelming and depressing. But, everyday we are reminded of those individuals, businesses and community groups who are doing good work and we are uplifted everyday by those we are helping to make the numbers better and improve the health of our environment – one step at a time, one day at a time.
Sometimes it can take a few years from the start of the relationship to the final outcome of the project. And that final outcome may just be the first step in many steps to creating a sustainable and commercially viable process that can help to significantly reduce the amount of waste that goes to Canterbury’s landfills.
It is about having a long term goal for our future – a sustainable Canterbury future where any waste generated is reused, recovered or recycled on shore first and where landfill and sending it offshore is the last resort (for all waste streams). But it will take time, patience, innovative ideas, advancement in technology, sound investment, collaboration (public and private partnerships), commitment, affecting cultural behaviour change, walking the talk, leading and being the catalyst for change. That is what SIFT is about – being a positive force for good as a social lender.
We have profiled a few businesses that are leading in waste management on our blog in the past and you can see some of the good and impactful work that we have done here. We have a number of super exciting projects on the go at the moment that will make a difference to Canterbury’s waste and will let you all know in due course about what they are and what good they will do.
If you are looking for funding for a project that will reduce the amount of waste going to Canterbury’s landfill or have a new idea that we could help with you can apply here.
You can check out our Flickr photos here too.
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Tags: business, canterbury, community, consumption, diverting waste from landfill, environment, environmental sustainability, funding, landfill, public private partnerships, recycle, recycling, SIFT, sustainable, sustainable future, waste
Posted in SIFT, SIFT Projects, Sustainability in Action, Waste Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 by Admin
 Monday’s Plains FM podcast with Mastagard Sales Manager Angus Winstone is now online here. You can listen to all the good things that Mastagard are doing with recycling our waste.
Tags: GreenBiz, Mastagard, Plains FM, recycling, SIFT, waste
Posted in PlainsFM, SIFT, Waste Management | No Comments »
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SIFT will be having a bit of a break from the PlainsFM GreenBiz show. 
