Historically there was an overseas demand for plastic grades 3-7. That demand collapsed after China, which bought 50 per cent of the world's recycling, stopped accepting the quantity of material it used to.
The New Zealand Government's Provincial Growth Fund is reported to be looking at funding investment to build the infrastructure to recycle and reprocess plastics onshore.
Only plastics 1, 2 and 5 are able to be recycled as part of the new Hamilton rubbish and recycling service that begins on August 31. These plastic types are not affected by the restrictions because they have healthy markets and export opportunities.
From the start of the new service from August 31, council will collect all plastics 1-7 in the new yellow recycling wheelie bin, but will need to send plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7 to landfill until another recycling solution is found or the international restrictions change for these types of plastics.
The new service will be a 120 litre wheeled bin for rubbish, a 240 litre wheeled bin for recycling, and a 45 litre crate for glass — all collected fortnightly. The 30 litre food bin will be collected weekly. Leaflets have been delivered with the bins.
Hamilton City Council infrastructure operations manager Eeva-Liisa Wright says, "This situation is one of many challenges faced by all councils nationally as a result of significant changes to the global recycling market".
"Fortunately, the items affected are the minority of plastics collected in New Zealand."
"A Ministry for the Environment audit in 2019 identified that plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7 only made up around 10 to 15 per cent of household rubbish and recycling collections."
Hamilton City Council's city waters manager, Maire Porter, says while the delay in being able to recycle all plastics types under the new service is frustrating, the council wants to be transparent and honest with the community about this issue.
"The most sustainable way forward for Hamilton is to support a change in consumer habits. So I'd encourage Hamiltonians to look for alternatives to buying products packed in, or made of, plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7."
Ms Porter also says Hamilton's new rubbish and recycling service will be a transformational change that will raise environmental awareness in the community.
"The new service will not only add type 5 plastics to our new recycling service; it will also allow the council to reach its target of a 25 per cent decrease in the per capita kerbside rubbish to landfill within four years and achieve a 50 per cent increase in the per capita kerbside recycling within four years. Together, reaching these targets will divert more than 100,000 tonnes of anticipated waste from landfill in the next 10 years."
"With organic food scraps currently accounting for almost 50 per cent of Hamilton residents' landfill waste by weight, the new food scraps bin will also help significantly reduce the amount of waste the city sends to landfill."
"Recycling is very important, but our priority should be to reduce our waste as much as we can."
