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

SIFT is a supportive campaigner of reusing as much waste or by product from industry.  A reasonably new initiative has emerged. Industrial symbiosis is one example of a cooperative process, where by businesses ‘buddy up’ in an effort to reuse waste and by products that the partner company produces, but has no further means of using.

The theory is that when businesses cooperate in this way, they are exerting less energy and consuming less water and raw materials, than if they had to manufacture the by product themselves.

Although I-S appears to be motivated by limiting the usage of resources, the environmental gains were actually just an eventual by product of agreements that were based on financial efficiency – namely sharing the costs of production across industry.  The particular case study in Denmark demonstrates the advantages of cooperation across 6 compatable companies.

In order for industrial symbiosis to be effectively executed, it is reliant on the compatibility of the companies – and this could only be equated by analysing the economic and environmental benefits of a cooperative scheme.

The following diagram* demonstrates the process of symbiosis, as it is taking place in Kalundborg, Denmark. This is a heavily referenced example in current waste management research.

As can be seen in the diagram below, all of the companies mutually exploit each other’s residual or by-products.

In the next blog, we will be looking to Canterbury based enterprises that are improving their bottom line through similar cooperative methods.

* The companies that are a part of this structure are: DONG Energy Asnæs Power Station, the plasterboard factory Gyproc A/S, the pharmaceutical plant Novo Nordisk A/S, the enzyme producer Novozymes A/S, the oil refinery Statoil A/S, RGS 90 A/S as well as the waste company Kara/Noveren I/S.

Last week I posted about reducing waste to landfill through better work waste management systems and asked our readers to send in their new/innovative/creative waste management systems in their offices. My sister-in law happened across the blog post (cos’ she follows us on Twitter here too) and sent in the above photos and the following comment:

“At my workplace we have recently implemented a strategy which Crown Research Institutes have been doing for a while. In your office you get a large cardboard tray for recycling and a tiny wee box for rubbish. Then you have to empty these yourselves at one of the depots. Unfortunately we don’t currently have a strategy for organics, so the depots only have landfill, glass/plastic, and paper/cardboard. The cleaners no longer empty bins in our offices and only empty these larger communal bins.”

Thanks Nicola. This is a great example of in-office waste managment.

Baled Paper - Copyright - SIFT

What a whirlwind week! We were at the WasteMinz conference earlier in the week and then spent yesterday in catch up mode. So, for today we have few cool things we have found that might be of interest and then next week there will be a bit of a run down on the conference and what we learned.

The most important thing learnt during the two days (it was a mix of Behaviour Change workshops and workshops on waste related issues) is that we need to act sustainably everyday – small actions will add up to make a big impact.

Here are the Friday Favourites:

• The toilet paper issue – how far will you go to reduce your paper waste – all the way to cloths?
• How about eating paper with no calories? As long as it is recycled!
• The biodegradable pen – love it!
• A new guide to buying sustainable paper for your office here launched recently by the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Government.
• A better recycling campaign was also launched this week by the Community Recycling Network (Sue Coutts presented a very informative presentation at the WasteMinz workshop about the launch and why we need to implement more effective and efficient recycling systems with less contamination and to increase onshore recycling). You read see more of what they do here.
• And finally, Envirocomp who compost nappies are still on a roll composting 15,000 nappies a day and looking to expand - more here.

Source: Flickr Eric in SF's photostream

Source: Flickr jdaisy's photostream

7% or 14,920 tonnes of the waste sent to Kate Valley landfill from Christchurch year end June 2009 was textiles/rubber waste. Things like old clothes and carpets  and tyres and old foam mattresses. Once again there is definitely room for reduction here.

Nationally textiles makes up 4% and rubber 1%.

**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.

National data from MfE here.

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.

Picture window from spmaxi on Flickr

5% or 11,579 tonnes of waste that went to Kate Valley landfill the year to June 2009 was a metal. Types of metals that end up in landfill are broken up into two types 1) Ferrous (steel based metal products) and 2) Non-Ferrous (Aluminium, Copper and Lead based products). For the Christchurch figures we work from the amount of metal that was sent to Kate Valley landfill in the year to June 2009 increased 52% and nationwide metal represents 4.5% (4% Ferrous and 0.5% non Ferrous).

Interestingly, the Scrap Metal Association stated that for 2006 between 495,000 and 550,000 tonnes of scrap metal was diverted from landfill in New Zealand.

Types of waste table and Scrap Metal Industry figure sourced from MfE here.

**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.

Source: Flickr the red chair #17 from Jasperroz

Reusing something that has become a waste item as a new item is a bit of a zig zag as ultimately it will end up in landfill at some point in its lifecycle.

One example is instead of using paper towels to clean up around the home or office cut up old clothes, tea towels and towels to a handy cleaning size. You can even hem them using a sewing machine (simple zig zag stitch) so they don’t fray. This gives the material once used as a sweater, skirt etc a new life as a cloth and will also cut down on paper waste (and the plastic film used for packaging).

Use materials made from natural fibres like cotton, linen and wool so that when they do get to landfill they will break down a lot faster than synthetic materials.

Source - Flickr From youmakemehappywhenskiesaregrey

For Christchurch, in 2008/2009, nearly a quarter of all waste sent to landfill was kitchen waste. This is one of the waste streams that can be reduced the fastest and that each household and business in Canterbury can directly impact. Not only does wasted food impact the space in our landfills but also impact on global warming with the methane emitted as it breaks down (not to mention all the emissions from the production, manufacturing and transportation of the food that isn’t eaten before it gets to the consumer).

Reduce your food waste by firstly recognising what, when and how  you are buying (maybe buying less more often will mean less spolied food), by planning your meals and using leftovers and then what is left over can go into a compost bin or EM Bokashi system breaking down and then providing much needed nutrients for your garden (or potted plants).

Or if you are a business in the food service, hospitality or produce industry look at how you can reduce the amount of unsold food that is wasted. Can it be reduced in price on or just before the use by date or can you set up a business composting system or give the food away to a community garden’s compost?

There are  some great ideas for creative uses for kitchen scraps from Re-Nest.

Or check out the wonderful UK site Love Food Hate Waste for some excellent practical actions that you can do today.

Love to hear your ideas on how business can help to reduce food waste.

It’s a beautiful sunny end-of-summer day here in Christchurch (New Zealand). Back to blog posts now after concentrating on the new website. If you haven’t already go for a spin and check out what SIFT is all about. Lots of great projects that are making a difference to reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill. We also have a few projects in the pipeline we are really excited about.

The deadline for the government’s Waste Minimisation Fund is 5pm on Monday. If you miss out and have a project focussed on Canterbury  try applying to SIFT.

In the meantime here are the favourite links we have found from around the world:

• Love this great Hermon Miller blog called Lifework on life in offices and working spaces. Did you know the super comfy Herman Miller Aeron Chair is 94% recyclable and made from 64% manufactured from recycled content.
• Over at Fake Plastic Fish Beth contemplates matches or lighters in her quest for zero plastic living.
• The Dancing Guy over on Adam Werbach’s Strategy for Sustainability – are you the first, second, 10th, 100th or last person part of a movement? What will be the catalyst for more sustainable living changes?
• To reduce waste we need to live with less and many finding that less is more.
• Cool new uses for vintage suitcases – how many of those are now sitting in landfill?
• Super stylish ceiling lights made from coat hangers.
• This is what we need more of in NZ – an eco-friendly general store.
• Our favourite sustainability leader, Melissa Clark-Reynolds talking to Good Morning recently.
• Reduce waste in your kid’s lunches from Simple Organic.
• Emily Harris of Sustainability in the City, based in Auckland, has a dream that we can all help with.

That should keep you all going for a while. Have a great weekend.

Suitcase Chairs via The Violet Hours via Apartment Therapy