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Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 by Admin
 Pelletised recycling plastics from Mastagard It has taken a bit of time to get around to organising the photos I took from the WasteMinz Conference a few weeks ago but they are all now uploaded on the SIFT Flickr site.
Featured organisations include:
SuloTalbot
 Sulo Talbot Bin Man Mastagard
 Mastagard Stand Owens-Illinois
 Owens Illinois stand Villa Maria Winery
 Villa Maria Winery Mangere Ministry for the Environment
 MfE Stand and of course WasteMinz who put on an excellent, highly informative and productive conference. Next year it will be in Rotorua and if this year is anything to go by will be just as important to those in or associated with the waste and recovering materials industries.
Tags: conference, Flickr, Mastagard, mfe, Owens-Illinois, photos, SIFT, SuloTalbot, Villa Maria, WasteMinz, wines
Posted in Events, SIFT, Waste Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 by Admin
On Monday afternoon I attended the opening of Mastagard and Southern Demolition’s new Eco-Recycling Plant. Centrally located just down from AMI Stadium on Wilsons Road the new transfer recycling facility is a joint venture between Mastagard and Southern Demolition. It will take paper, cardboard, magazines, plastic film, plastic bottles, timber, steel, Gib board, concrete and green waste “leaving the bear minimum going to landfill”. Mastagard sees this new transfer facility as a solution to increasing recycling and reuse of waste products. The eco-recycling transfer station is open to businesses, waste operators and the community.
It was a rather chilly afternoon for the opening but the highlight was the Hon. Rodney Hide (National MP) arriving in a Canterbury Waste Services truck! He said that he is “proud and pleased to declare the new transfer station open” and “it is good to see businesses making money while doing good”.
Mastagard’s General Manager Sebastian Stapleton sees the need for “responsible and progressive leadership within our industry”. We agree that the waste industry does need start taking the lead (and to work collaboratively) on providing solutions for reducing our impact on the environment – this new eco-recycling transfer facility is a good example of this. Ofcourse as we have said before the best way to reduce waste is to reduce consumption.
Here are a few key quotes from Mastagard General Manager Sebastian Stapleton:
- The goal is to be a professional, dependable, highly efficient environmental solutions provider.
- It is incredibly important that we are able to create a closed loop recycling process with accountability and integrity.
- It’s no longer acceptable for a person, business or waste collection company to put material in the right coloured bins and simply assume that someone has recovered it and processed it in accordance with environmental best practice.
Mastagard have recovered materials processing sites across the city (they also collect all of the recyclables from Westland). Their Wigram site processes construction and demolition materials such as Gib board which is turned into powder for use in fertiliser and concrete which is separated into grades for re-use in roading and construction. Their Bromley site processes cardboard and organics as well as plastics such as the Plasback Product Stewardship Scheme collection of baleage wrap. The plastics recycling facility was opened last year and you can see photos from that launch here. Southern Demolition is the South Island’s largest demolition and demolition waste recoverer.
Congratulations to Mastagard and Southern Demolition for taking Canterbury a step closer towards a sustainable future. Their work in waste recovery along with all the other industry players will help us to reduce our waste and the impact that has on our environment.
You can view photos of my site visit to Mastagard’s Bromley processing station here.
Photos below from the launch are from my phone so not too good. Good photos to come.
 Hon. Rodney Hide arriving  Emcee Jim Hopkins and Mastagard GM Sebastian Stapleton  Hon. Rodney Hide and Emcee Jim Hopkins  Baled Gloss Paper from Mastagard  HDPE Plastic Milk Bottles from Mastagard  HDPE Recycled Plastic Pellets from Mastagard  Plastic Waste film from Mastagard
Tags: cardboard, landfill, Mastagard, paper, plastics, recycling, Rodney Hide, Southern Demolition, waste
Posted in Events, News on Sustainability, Sustainability in Action, Waste Management | No Comments »
Monday, May 24th, 2010 by Admin
 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.
Tags: agpac, agriculture, farm, landfill, Mastagard, mfe, Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith, Plasback, plastics, product stewardship
Posted in News on Sustainability, SIFT Projects, Waste Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 by Admin
A couple of weeks ago I visited Angus Winstone from Mastagard to get a first hand view of their site and what they do. Mastagard collect waste from around Christchurch but also have nationwide recycling contracts for paper and plastic where the items are transported to Christchurch for processing. Mastagard work with one of our grantees Agpac to collect the plastic baleage wrap and other agricultural plastics from their Plasback Voluntary Product Stewardship Scheme. Mastagard are conscious of ensuring that solutions found for on shore recycling of our waste rather than having it shipped to China for processing.
Here are some photos from the visit:
 Baled paper for processing  Stacks of baled paper  Baler machine producing a bale of paper  Paper pile at the beginning of the process  Baled plastic bottles  Baleage wrap ready for processing **All images Copyright the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust.
Tags: baleage wrap, farms, Mastagard, paper, plastic, recycling
Posted in Waste Management | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010 by Admin
 Recoverd Paper and Card being processed at Mastagard - Copyright SIFTNZ Let’s start the week off with another statistic. So far we have looked at Plastic, Glass, Metal, Wood and Textiles & Rubber and there are still a few more waste streams to go that make up all of the waste that ends up here at Kate Valley Landfill.
Paper and Card makes up 14% – that’ s just over 32,000 tonnes to June 2009. The good thing is that this figure is down 39% on the year before (meaning more is being recovered and recycled) but that still seems like a lot of paper and cardboard that could have been recycled. One assumes that it has ended up in landfill because it is contaminated in some form which again highlights the need for our recycling/rubbish processes to become more efficient at separating out anything that could contaminate a waste stream.
**Source – Christchurch City Council, based on % breakdowns of waste sent to landfill as sourced from the Christchurch City Council’s 2008 solid waste survey conducted between July and December 2008. The figures are indicative only.
Tags: Christchurch City Council, Kate Valley Landfill, Mastagard, Paper and Cardboard, recycling, waste
Posted in 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 »
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 »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 by Admin
Crop packaging manufacturer Agpac is leading the way on a product stewardship scheme that recycles the very crop packaging they manufacturer. You can read more about them here on an old blog post. Baleage wrap is used to wrap bales of hay and other grasses and instead of farmers burning or burying the plastic or leaving it to blow around the farm they can now put it in a handy Agpac collection bin (which also decreases the risk of contamination) and it is then recycled.
Agpac recently opened a new baler with the help of Minister for the Environment Hon. Dr. Nick Smith who is quoted as saying “These initiatives are part of the future for New Zealand’s most important industry. Companies are expected to take responsibility for the full life of their products not just manufacture and sales. This includes removing waste at the end of the product’s life-cycle. Agpac is taking a lead in developing this broader view.”
He also went on to say “New Zealand’s agriculture exports are coming under increasing scrutiny regarding their sustainabiltiy and environmental impact. Currently 10 to 20 percent of agriculture plastics are being recycled and we need to increase this to 100%”.
This new baler has the ability to be transported across the South Island where it can bale up used plastic baleage wrap and sileage pit covers at the farm making it easier for farmers to be apart of the scheme. Agpac’s Chris Hartshorne states that “Product Stewardship is a partnership that includes us as the distributor, our customers, the recycling industry and the reprocessors who create new products from the recycled materials.” This is exactly where all businesses and industries need to be moving to in order to create a sustainable future for New Zealand and its products.
And as Mastagard’s Sebastian Stapleton said in the press release for the new baler farmers need to start looking at where their old products are being sent to for recycling – “There is significant risk that waste plastic shipped to Asia will be processed in environmentally reckless and inhumane conditions”.
As well as a new baler Agpac have recently entered into a new agreement with plastics recycler Mastagard who will recycled the used baleage wrap here in Christchurch. Mastagard recently opened a $5 million wash and plastics recycling plant in Sockburn, which you can read about here. They will also be able to take the agrichemicals plastic containers.
All Agpac and Mastergard need now is for more farmers to be apart of the scheme.
 The Hon. Dr. Nick Smith with new Agpac baler
Tags: agpac, agrichemicals, baleage wrap, diverting waste from landfill, Mastagard, plastic, plastic wrap, producer responsibility, product stewardship, recycle, recycling, recycling projects, SIFT, sileage, waste
Posted in Events, SIFT Projects, Waste Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 by Admin
Christchurch is definitely becoming the hub of recycling for New Zealand especially for Plastics. Last month, the new $5 million Mastagard plant opened which will enable Canterbury to recycle more types of plastics and yesterday there were two new plant openings. The Agpac plant opened a new baler which will help to increase the amount of baleage plastic they can recycle and then an hour later Comspec in Hornby opened a new plastic milk bottle recycling plant.
The Comspec plant is a state-of-the-art plastic milk bottle wash and recycling facility. They are able to process 100,000 plastic milk bottles per day. Comspec is another SIFT funded project as well – we gave an initial grant to assess the feasibility and commercial viability of the plant and then some more $ in the form of a loan to buy the plant needed.
There are three key positive aspects to the Comspec plant:
1. It means that the South Island’s plastic milk bottles will no longer be shipped offshore. They would normally go to Asia to be recycled but Comspec can now do it.
2. The process is also chemical free and the water used for washing is recycled in a closed loop system.
3. Turning the old plastic milk bottles into recycled plastic resin provides a ready feed stock of plastic resin for manufacturing within New Zealand. This means decreasing our dependancy on buying in plastic resin from overseas. This is a valuable resource.
It is estimated that they will process 2.5 million plastic milk bottles a year. They will be shredded, washed, granulated, rinsed and dried to make recycled plastic resin that can be turned into other plastic items such as drainage pipes, plastic sheeting, wheelie bins and industrial packaging.
Comspec have stated that this project will save an average of 1 tonne of CO2 for every tonne of plastic that is recycled. That’s great.
Even Fonterra is supportive of the new plant. Their Eco-Efficiency Manager, Spring Humphreys, was quoted in the press release as saying “This wash plant is an excellent example of innovation in New Zealand’s plastics recycling industry which ticks all of the boxes for improving environment, social and economic performance.”
At SIFT we are really pleased to be apart of such positive impactful projects and can’t wait to see more of them come on line. This is a successful SIF T project that diverts our waste from going to landfill and from going off shore for someone else to deal with.
 Old plastic milk bottles on the move  More old milk bottles on the move  The Comspec Plant  Another part of the Comspec plant  Chipped old plastic milk bottles  From milk to consume, to empty milk bottles, to recycled plastic resin granules to new plastic piping.
Tags: agpac, baleage, bottles, CO2, Comspec, consumption, funding, grant, loan, Mastagard, milk bottles, plastics, recycling, SIFT, waste
Posted in Events, SIFT Projects, Waste Management | No Comments »
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