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Posts Tagged ‘Green Collar Jobs’
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 by Admin
 Gina Dempster, Wanaka Wastebusters As with last week’s Green Collar Job Q&A with Simon from Wanaka Wastebusters we have not actually met Gina Dempster (also from Wanaka Wastebusters) but know that she is doing good green work. Gina looks after the communications for Wanaka Wastebusters, “pretty much anything that needs to be written is my responsibility” she says. That includes advertising, press releases, newsletters, leaflets and the website. “I work two days a week, and love the dynamic, unpredictable and energetic workplace here.” Before working at Wanaka Wastebusters, Gina was part of the media team for the Green Party in Parliament.
Here are her answers to our Green Collar Job Questions:
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I try not to throw too much out by recycling, composting, re-using things and fixing them up (although sewing is not my strong point so I have a whole basket of clothes waiting for mending day which never comes). I get satisfaction from finding the perfect second-hand object: old telephone poles to hold our deck up or a pair of nearly new ski pants for my sister. I grow most of our summer veggies and fruit, support local producers and avoid food packaging.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
At Wanaka Wastebusters our work is all about recycling, re-use and challenging people to think about what they really need. Our Green Christmas has been very popular over the last two years, encouraging people to give one-off gifts from our re-use shop. We have just insulated our office which means we get to take off our down jackets in the winter.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
The current mode of thinking that resources are limitless.
4. What makes you smile?
Watching my four-year-old on his first ever powder run (he crashed all the way down).
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who think they can’t make a difference, so it’s not worth trying.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Blue – because it’s the colour of the sky and the sea.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
Wanaka . I love seeing the mountains every day, especially against a clear sky at dusk.
8. What’s your connection to Sift?
Sift and Wanaka Wastebusters are working to minimise waste.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
I think her name was Ms Gore, and she was my teacher in Std 2. I remember we studied medieval history and had a jousting tournament with newspaper swords. I got to be a knight and ride on two of my friends who were the horse – maybe they don’t remember that day so fondly.
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Happy kids (hopefully grown up by then). A world that values the earth.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Sometimes I think chaos and darkness, but mostly I think communal strength and wiser ways of living.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
Barbara Kingsolver. For writing about things that matter.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
It’s nearly dusk and the grey sky shows it’s that time when the temperature plummets. Time to go home and light the fire.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
At the moment it’s scrambled eggs and gluten-free toast, or maybe some almonds and fruit.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Once the wave forms, change happens quickly.
Lovely answers – thanks Gina. You can find more about Wanaka Wastebusters and the good work they are doing to reduce waste to landfill here.
Tags: community, Green Collar Jobs, landfill, recyle, reduce, reuse, Wanaka Wastebusters, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, Waste Management | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 by Admin
 Baled Plastic Milk Bottles Waiting for processing at Mastagard This week’s Green Collar Job Q&A is with Angus Winstone, Sales Manager for Mastagard here in Christchurch. Mastagard are one of the key industry players here in Canterbury for waste collection and recycling. They collect from around Canterbury, Christchurch and the West Coast and have a focus on recycling as much as possible. They work with SIFT fund recipient Agpac recycling the baleage wrap and other agricultural plastics that Agpac collects from around Canterbury farms. SIFT recently visited Mastagard to check out what they do and we will be posting about that soon. In the meantime here are Angus’s answers:
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
Thats a hard one, sustainable living ….. I do the normal recycling, but I have the added advantage of being able to bring things to work to be recycled.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
As a recycling company it easy to recycle, slightly cheating! We recycle just about everything in the office. We always turn off our computers at night. I think when you work in an industry that is driven by recycling you don’t really think about it, as we are all trying to come up with ideas to do things more sustainably for our clients, so its just a fundamental part of our business!
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
The government needs to regulate or legislate the export of recyclables. As a privately funded recycling company we are competing to purchase product from buyers from overseas that are totally unregulated! If recyclables were supplied to the New Zealand recycling processors we would be able to expand and recycle new recoverables!
4. What makes you smile?
My kids playing.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
I don’t really have a pet peeve ….. but if I had to identify something that got me upset it would have to be the misunderstandings about plastic recycling. Plastic is a great product, it can be 100% recycled. What is not OK is the low recovery rate!
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
It should be green but I do like blue.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
Yes, Lake Tarawera in the North Island. It is a lake that I have been going to my whole life, it’s is the most unspoilt and natural place I have ever seen!
8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
We are working with SIFT on the ‘Plasback’ scheme [*with Agpac] to promote and collect all rural plastics, also they are help us get our message out to the wider market place.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
My favourite teacher was probably my Physics teacher, Mr Jefferies. He used to let me electrocute myself, blow myself up …. good times!
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Good worm fodder …… no really, I want to see a recycling industry in New Zealand that works, it would be great to leave behind a robust recycling industry in New Zealand!
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Well I don’t think the hover craft cars are on the immediate future, but maybe we will all be driving hybrid cars instead.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
It’s so hard to answer a question like this without offending someone … so im going to say ‘My Dad’ sorry Gandhi.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
I am eyeing up a timber yard with a whole lot of plastic that should be recycled, why?
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Weetbix with peaches! Sorry you can’t beat it.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
I think that the New Zealand recycling industry has been confused with the New Zealand ‘Bale and Ship to China’ industry …. We need to help recyclers prosper, not help the companies that are helping the Chinese recycling industry prosper (and it is). My personal opinions may seem rather strong, but when the Mastagard plastic company is purchasing plastic from off shore and importing it to New Zealand because it is unable to source plastic locally, then something is very wrong. New Zealand is teaming with unregulated commodities brokers and greedy councils stripping the best plastics away from local New Zealand recyclers. If we want the New Zealand recycling industry to blossom, we need to make it an attractive industry to invest in.
Tags: agpac, China, Green Collar Jobs, Mastagard, plastic, recycling, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Admin
 Plains FM Mornings' Ed Swift Ed Swift is the presenter and producter of Plains FM Mornings in Christchurch, one of the few local radio shows in Canterbury. Ed presents the SIFT sponsored Green Biz segment on Monday mornings when we talk about sustainable businesses in Canterbury.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
One of the big things I do is bike and walk to wherever I need to get to, and if it’s not within walking distance, I’ll try to catch a bus! We also use the three bin system as much as possible (recycling, organics, etc.) and we use a push lawnmower on our little patch of grass (it’s hard work but it’s not using petrol and polluting the place).
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
We recycle as much paper as possible, making little note pads out of any scrap possible. Also basic things like turning off the lights in rooms I’m not using and turning off the computer and screen at night – it’s just common sense.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
I think we’ve nailed the rubbish problem pretty well with the 3 bin system, but now we all need to look at the difference we can make at home and work.
4. What makes you smile?
Having a good laugh with mates, and seeing my 3 year old niece.
5. What is your bigget pet peeve?
Being trained as a journalist and having a mother who has exceptional grammar, I get peeved when people don’t get apostrophes correct, and also when people don’t know the difference between “affect” and “effect”. It seems weird but it just bugs me for some reason!
6. What id your favourite colour and why?
Red – not too sure why, I just always have! I could say something funny here like “red things always go faster!”
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
Sumner Beach, a great place to be at in the summer, sitting in the sand, swimming in the sea, and there are lots of good cafes around too!
8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
I present and produce Plains FM Mornings, where we have a weekly slot with SIFT on Monday at 9.10am looking at sustainability (shameless plug – tune in weekdays from 8am on 96.9FM or streaming live at plainsfm.org.nz!).
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Dr Huffadine from King’s College in Auckland – wasn’t officially my teacher but he was my Housemaster and he taught us a lot at school, and was always up for a game of pool in lunchtime.
10. What do you want to leave behind?
As little waste as possible.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Who knows – 2 years ago I would’ve never predicted I would be hosting my own radion show in Christchurch, so I’ve given up trying to predict the future!
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
My mum – she’s raised 4 children (of which I’m the youngest) while finding time to volunteer in the community, work as a part-time journalist in Auckland, and finish her BA with First Class Honours last year – now all she needs to do is start her PhD!
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
I see trees of green (but not red roses too), plus the redevelopment of Visions of Campus at CPIT.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Nothing beats scambled eggs on toast, especially if a nice flatmate brings it to you in bed (hint hint).
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Always have a positive outlook on life, and don’t forget to smile.
Tags: canterbury, community, Ed Swift, Green Biz, Green Collar Job post, Green Collar Jobs, Plains FM, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, PlainsFM, SIFT | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by Admin
 Catherine Gibson - SIFT's bookeeper This weeks Green Collar Job Q&A is with Catherine Gibson who assists SIFT in what it does by keeping the books and accounts in order. Thanks Catherine!
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
Recycle, recycle, recycle! Walk when I can and have a vegetable garden.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
Recycle and bring lunch from home.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
Pollution, waste and hazardous substances.
4. What makes you smile?
Puppies and babies.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Arrogant drivers.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Purple – it’s rich, royal and wise.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
South Bay, Kaikoura – my sanctuary.
8. What’s your connection to Sift?
I’m the keeper of the books.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Miss Thompson – she was pretty, kind & smart!
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Four awesome adult children impacting their world!
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Too much to put into a sentence.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
Nelson Mandela – he had the faith to believe when it seemed hope was lost.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
The moon is rising.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Muesli, fruit and yoghurt.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Always be true to what you believe and know to be right.
Tags: accounting, garden, Green Collar Jobs, recycle, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, SIFT | No Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010 by Admin
 SIFT Trustee Dixon McIvor SIFT Trustee Dixon McIvor is a long standing member of the recycling industry and the owner of a local commercial recycling operation Resource Recycling Technologies NZ Limited. Here are his answers to our Green Collar Jobs Q & A.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I sort out the rubbish better at home and recycle more.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
Think before printing emails and other online correspondence.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
Home Insulation.
4. What makes you smile?
My grandchildren.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Supermarket plastic bags.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Blue (like the flag of Scotland)
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
Marlborough Sounds (you need to go there to understand why).
8. What is your connection to SIFT?
Board of Trustees member.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Mr Thorpe (Standard Four, Linwood Ave Primary School)
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Happy Children.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
More wars and more sadness.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
John Key because he is a self-made man.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
Nothing (it’s lunchtime).
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Meusli and fruit.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Learn to live and respect each other.
Tags: Dixon McIvor, Green Collar Jobs, recycling, resource, SIFT, SIFT Trustee, sustainable living, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, SIFT | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 by Admin
 SIFT CEO Linda Norris with her two boys James (R) and William (Bottom) in the Rangiora Cub Scouts Caravan Due to a few technical difficulties with our blog we are reposting SIFT CEO Linda Norris’ Green Collar Jobs Q&A.We thought it was about time to profile SIFT CEO Linda Norris in our Green Collar Jobs Blog post. Linda has been the CEO of the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust for about three years and is a passionate advocate for sustainable living. She is always looking for innovative and creative ways for SIFT to have a positive impact on the community and to ultimately reduce waste going to landfill. You can find more information about Linda here.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with low impact) in your life?
I live on a small farm in Loburn, North Canterbury, where we produce our own lamb and beef, as organic as it can be, and some of our own veges. We compost everything we can through EM Bokashi, and even our new home proudly displays a number of great features from recycled materials like flooring, doors, and of course furniture from the Christchurch Supershed – all good to go with a little TLC. We buy quality goods that last and use local businesses for services, employ local people, and we know most of our neighbours. I drive a low carbon emission diesel vehicle. We help out in our community by doing rubbish clean ups and with environmental projects at the local school. We recenlty picked up a massive 55kg of well concealed waste dumped in our hedgrows in one weekend, about 80% of it was recycled! I have taken a group of four 8/9 year olds to talk on community radio station Plains FM “Green Biz” about their fun waste diversion project through TradeMe.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
Our office fitout used almost entirely recycled furniture and we use web-based business tools to minimise cost and maximise reach. We minimise paper usage, reuse what we can, and travel with good IT systems, and any one of us can work from home if need be, reducing emissions. We use suppliers that are carbon neutral as far as possible e.g. Digiweb and Green Cabs, and we use video conferencing instead of travelling out of town.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
Maximise our Earth’s resources. We can all do our bit to help the environment. It’s just an excuse to say you are too small to do something.
4. What makes you smile?
My children! I have 3 boys, two at primary school aged 10 and 8, plus one aged 41 (sorry Dean!)
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Unncessary waste: Cheap and nasty “stuff” being sold in NZ that we all know will end up in our landfills. Buy quality that will last and buy a product that can be up-recycled or reused.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Forever Green of course! A sort of clear and sparkly green. I’ve always loved green – it reminds me of our Earth and is very grounding and so creative.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the workd? Describe why?
Ooh tough choice…La Paz in Bolivia, South America – it means Peace, or close to home Totaranui in the Abel Tasman National Park – great family holidays: walks, wildlife & water – we stay at the Dept of Conservation bach – we are soooo lucky, it’s such a special place.
8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Initiatives Fund. I’m the chief waste minimiser!
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Definitely Mr Calver at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. He taught me maths at high school level and always used to have a saying “a tick if it’s right, cross if it’s wrong, and if in doubt cross it out!” He was very inspiring; I still love maths as do my children. Teachers are so important as they influence young minds. I went on to train as an auditor with Deloitte; I think that Mr Calvert may have influenced my career choice!
10. What do you want to leave behind?
A greener, more peaceful and prosperous world. A happy and content family.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
Different political boundaries will emerge; technology will enable different groups of people to help solve world problems; and creativity will leapfrog a real opportunity for innovation in science and the environment. Technology and creativity have to be inextricably linked.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
Duke of Wellington, the greatest soldier that every lived.
13. What is happending outside your window right now?
Beautiful night sky in Loburn, North Canterbury, it’s 1am!
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Homemade meusli, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (organic ofcourse), fruit, live yoghurt.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Replicate SIFT into the North Island, so that the whole country can benefit from the “Canterbury waste model”. Keep the strong connection between business and community – nuture your people. It’s people that matter and will drive change.
Tags: community, consumption, diverting waste from landfill, Green Collar Jobs, linda norris, Loburn, SIFT, sustainable initiatives, waste, Waste Management
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Admin
 Nanda Poort-Rammers Twin Rivers Home Interiors
The last Green Collar Jobs Q&A for 2009 is with Interior Designer Nanda Poort-Rammers. Nanda runs interior design company Twin Rivers Home Interiors which has a focus on making quality, comfortable and beautiful living spaces that are sustainable and low impact on the environment. She is currently helping out SIFT CEO Linda Norris with a few new changes to her home.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I have a vegetable garden, a compost heap, try to be mindful with electricity use by turning off lights and computer when not in use, I am going to have double glazed windows installed in my home to save energy. I buy good quality products because I believe less rubbish will end up in the landfills. Good quality products will last longer.
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
I am an interior designer so very much aware of sustainability in and around the house. In my office I’ve used no toxic, water based lime paint that is an Environmental Choice Australia product and my office chair is made with strong eco friendly fabric and the base can be re-used again. I try to specify products that are eco friendly and sustainable for my clients.
3.What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
The rubbish that ends up in the landfills. The electricity use. New Zealand exists out of islands, the wind is always blowing, it is free and I can’t understand why we do not build wind farms to generate electricity and save energy?
4. What makes you smile?
My daughter, my husband, my work and to be able to do the things I love.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Dishonest people.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
I have several; Green because it is peacful and red because it is warm and cosy and they are opposites.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why.
New Zealand, because I live here. The Dolomites in Italy because I always went there for tramping and skiing and Denmark because I used to go there on holidays with my parents when I was a child.
8. What is your connection to SIFT?
I am an Interior Designer and have my own company, Twin Rivers Home Interiors. I help Linda Norris with the renovation of her home. It is going to be beautiful.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Simon Green, he was the teacher of my daughter at Primary School. He is amazing; he gives children self confidence and the ability and drive to perform well at school and in life.
10. What do you want to leave behind?
That I have lived intensely and have made my dreams come true.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
We are going to build our own home with a view in the mountains; I will live there with my family and dogs and enjoy life.
12. Who is aomeone you really admire and why?
I am sorry, but myself. Because of everything I have achieved over the last couple of years since I have arrived in this country and have been able to become a New Zealand resident. And this was not an easy task.
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
My dogs sit underneath my window on the veranda, the sun shines, and I can see my garden and the foothills in the distance, I can hear the Nor’Wester. It is quite peaceful out here.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
The darkest brown bread with Dutch cheese, yoghurt and tea.
15. What is the bset piece of advice you can give us?
Only do the things your heart is in and you really love!
Tags: eco design, Green Collar Jobs, interior design, Interiors, linda norris, low impact living, SIFT, sustainability, sustainable living, Twin Rivers Home Interiors
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, Sustainability in Action | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 by Admin
 Felicity Price at Cadrona Skifield Felicity Price is also one of our PR experts from Carter Price Rennie. As well as being a leading PR expert in Christchurch she has twenty years experience as a journalist, columnist and writer, with her latest book Sandwich Short of a Picnic out now. Here are her answers to our Green Collar Jobs questions:
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I’m not particularly exceptional – I try to minimise as much of my waste as possible and favour the green or yellow recycling bins, and I’ve certainly planted a lot of trees in my time. I’m a passionate gardener. And I drive a car that runs on a teaspoon of fuel, a little Smart Car.
Every summer, we go to Totaranui – with the kids and, until this year, with my 94 year old mother. This will be our first summer without her. Totaranui has no electricity, no hot water, and is a wonderful natural environment. When I want to write my novels on holiday, I plug my laptop into electricity powered by a small solar panel that catches the Totaranui sun. (This means if it’s cloudy for more than a day I can’t get any writing done, but Totaranui weather is rarely bad for more than a day).
2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
I do a lot of running round to see clients and suppliers, and so the Smart Car is a great fuel saver. Plus we always try to find recycled paper, and sometimes solvent-free inks when appropriate, to print brochures and annual reports on.
3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
Water. We need to find a way of sustainably harvesting the water out of Canterbury’s big rivers to make our land more productive. And our diary farmers have to follow the clean dairying models.
4. What makes you smile?
My kids. My crazy spaniel. Books. Movies. Plays. Girlfriends.
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Not enough time to enjoy the things that make me smile.
6. What is your favourite colour and why?
Blue. Not sure really, but probably because it’s the same colour as my eyes.
7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
Totaranui, in the DOC camping ground by the golden sands and blue sea. I love it there.
8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
I help Linda and Olivia with getting their message across – communication strategies, media releases, media liaison.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
My English teacher at Girls’ High., Miss Jones, was an inspiration. I’ve been writing stuff ever since!
10. What do you want to leave behind?
Two children who will be healthy and happy, and some good books that people will want to go on reading after I’ve gone.
11. What do you think the future will bring?
I’ll get out my crystal ball and let you know if it tells me anything.
12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. Both of them for their stickability and persistence, against the odds. I’ve been there!
13. What is happening outside your window right now?
Sadly, grey skies and a howling easterly. I’ve always lived in Christchurch and I love the place, but that beastly easterly does get your down sometimes.
14. What is your favourite breakfast?
Porridge! With sultanas and banana slices.
15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
Set your goals and follow them with determination and passion and you will achieve what you want. This applies to anything, from communication strategies to life in general!
Tags: books, Carter Price Rennie, Felicity Price, Green Collar Jobs, journalist, PR, sustainable living, writing
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, SIFT | No Comments »
Monday, November 9th, 2009 by Admin
SIFT is able to help a variety of projects get started through a number of different types of funding. Agpac is great example of SIFT helping out with a grant. Agpac needed some funding to develop a wash plant with an aim to recycle baleage wrap from farms.
 Farm feed wrapped in Baleage While supplying baleage wrap (and other polythene products) to the rural sector Agpac wanted to find a way to reuse, recycle or dispose of baleage wrap and plastic silage pit covers sustainably. As producers of the packaging they felt it was their responsibility to ensure that it was disposed of appropriately with minimal harm to the environment. Currently, the wrap is either burnt (polluting the atmosphere), buried or left to blow around the rural property, causing environmental damage. The difficulty in recycling it, however, is its high contamination with manure, water, mud and damage.
 Used baleage wrap container (made from recycled baleage wrap) Agpac developed an easy-to-use bin for farmers to put their old and used baleage wrap into, decreasing the chance of contamination (and then increasing the amount of baleage wrap that can be recycled). This is then collected, shredded, washed then recycled. The old baleage wrap is then turned into the baleage wrap collection bins (as in the photo above). Agpac’s goal is to have every farmer in NZ with a baleage wrap collection bin.
The grant from SIFT was to help with research and development and the trialing of the recycling process. They are now in their fourth year and take around 280 tonnes of plastic wrap from farms. This is a great example of product stewardship in action – Agpac supply crop packaging products and then take back and recycle used packaging for responsible reuse – thus diverting more waste from landfill. We need more of this across all industries.
Agpac also bring in recycled bins from Italy (made from recycled Polypropylene and Polyethylene) to help make recycling and waste sorting easy. Called Urba there are 7L kitchen caddies, 40L stackable towers, breathable compost bins with bio bags and a range of other bins to make recycling (and diverting waste from landfill) easier. SIFT has one of the compost bins in our office and it doesn’t even smell.
Agpac also make Tuffboard recycled plastic sheeting and compost bins made from recycled HDPE plastic.
This morning Chris Hartshorne, Recycling Manager from Agpac joined SIFT CEO Linda Norris on PlainsFM’s GreenBiz segment to talk about the history of the idea to recycle the baleage wrap, how the initiative affects the supply chain for retailers and brand owners, the bins, farms, how the waste is collected, producer responsibility and product stewardship (whether it should be mandatory or voluntary). Here is the podcast.
 Agpac's Chris Hartshorne with their Urba recycling bins at PlainsFM Agpac will also be opening a new compressor tomorrow – another step in making their producer responsibility/product stewardship recycling scheme more streamlined and efficient.
Tags: agpac, baleage wrap, community, diverting waste from landfill, environmental sustainability, Green Collar Jobs, plastics, producer responsibility, product stewardship, recycling, recycling bins, reuse, SIFT, urba
Posted in SIFT Projects | No Comments »
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