"Recycling can only be recycled if it's clean. If a plastic milk bottle isn't rinsed before being put out with your other recycling for example, not only will it leave a smell for workers down the line, but it could contaminate other items, resulting in all of those items being sent straight to landfill."
Only plastics numbered 1, 2 and 5 can be recycled in New Zealand. This is largely due to demand in the international market.
Each week plastic, tin, paper and cardboard recycling is transported from CHB's recycling drop-off centres to a materials recycling facility to be sorted.
To minimise transport costs, the recycling is tipped from the drop-off centre bin into a larger open-top bin, which is then covered before being moved.
Mrs Davidson says, "There has been noise on social media recently that these bins were being sent straight to landfill. I assure you that this is not the case.
"There's a lot going on in recycling. There are fewer traditional markets looking to purchase our recycling and as a result of this, our recyclers are having to find new markets, or other ways of repurposing our recyclable material.
"One of the most significant impacts happened earlier this year, when changes to the process of plastics disposal were introduced throughout New Zealand, to meet Basel Convention requirements – an international agreement involving more than 180 countries, which was amended in 2019 to better regulate the global trade in plastic waste, largely for the protection of developing countries where our plastic 'recycling' often ends up.
"Before this, New Zealand was able to recycle plastics numbered 1 – 7, by mixing certain contaminate plastics (numbered 3, 4, 6 or 7). This meant that although these plastics left New Zealand's shores, receiving countries dealt with them by sorting contaminate plastics from recyclable plastics and disposing of them as waste. The amendments to the Basel Convention says that from January 2021, we will no longer be able to do this. Instead, only recyclable plastics [numbered 1, 2 and 5] will be accepted for shipping overseas."
At this stage, Central Hawke's Bay District Council will still collect plastics numbered 3, 4, 6 and 7, but these are separated at a materials recycling facility and sent to landfill.
"In the future, council will need to consider whether we stop the collection of these. I encourage everyone in Central Hawke's Bay to reduce their consumption of these plastics as much as possible so they don't end up in landfill," says Mrs Davidson.
"Council has developed a Waste-Free CHB online hub at www.chdbc.govt.nz/waste-free-chb. Here, you will find some tips on how to make purchasing choices so you can avoid buying plastics that can't be recycled, as well as further information and ideas on how you can reduce your waste, what exactly can be recycled, and what happens to your recycling once you drop it off either at the kerb, or one of our recycling drop-off centres.
"We'll continue to build and add to this and I invite you to provide your feedback and ideas."
