Glass Packaging Industry crushes its critics

Brand owners, glass manufacturers and retailers joined local and central government, recycling operators, the construction sector and a party of school children at Parliament today to launch what has been dubbed "beauty or the beast" - a mobile glass crusher.

The crusher, which is co-funded by the Glass Packaging Forum and Lion Nathan, was formally launched by the Hon David Parker, Minister for the Environment and Nandor Tanczos, spokesperson for the Environment for the Green Party.

David Carter, Chair of the Glass Packaging Forum said that the decision to invest in the crusher had evolved over the past 12 months.

"The Glass Packaging Forum started because New Zealanders got better at recycling and we simply didn't have use for all of the glass recovered. After nearly 80 years of glass recycling, this presented us with a unique and challenging problem."

"We soon realised that simply putting our hands in our pockets to provide funds did not work and would not deliver our ultimate goal that "all glass recovered in New Zealand is recycled". For this to happen, industry needed to work with local councils, recycling operators, community trusts and central government to identify, develop and deliver new glass recycling opportunities."

Mr Carter said that the commercial sector has done what it's good at and applied a business approach:

"We commissioned research and funded the development of new recycling initiatives but realised that this alone was not going to solve the problem. That said; the research whether in assisting with specifications, cost benefit analysis of different crushing methodologies, or reviewing different types of collections; has been an important step along the way with the result that glass is now used in our roads, construction and foamed glass insulation."

"Today we are going one step further with the purchase and ongoing operation of this mobile glass crusher. It will be operated by Silaca Crushers and we will offer this service to all communities at a cost comparable to local operators but we think it will be particularly valuable to those who do not have their own facilities."

Mr Carter said that the glass crusher was not going to compete with or threaten the commercial viability of other local operators but was aimed at solving the glass problem for those communities that needed it at source and without the requirement for transporting glass around the country if it makes no economic or environmental sense to do so.

Glass can be crushed to the specification required by the local operator so can be utilised for a range of applications with varying economic pay backs for example aggregate for roads; water filtration systems, insulation, golf bunkers, agricultural mulch, tiles and erosion protection.

Mr Carter said that the Glass Packaging Forum supported the cross party proposals for waste minimisation:

"In fact we recommend this voluntary product stewardship programme, which has raised over $2million in the past two and a half years, as the gold standard for product stewardship systems under the proposed new Bill. 53% of glass consumed is now recycled - the equivalent of diverting 314 million glass containers from landfill - and this does not include glass which awaits crushing either by our own glass crusher or by those now operating commercially."

"So we are absolutely confident that we will not only meet but exceed our target of 55% by 2009 and are ready to agree a new target under the next Packaging Accord. We recognise that for some, the solution may be to resolve issues by legislation but we firmly believe that the work of the Forum demonstrates the commercial sector's self motivation in seeking and implementing outcomes at the lowest cost for New Zealand. We have always accepted that if we don't deliver, then legislation would kick in."

The naming of the glass crusher will be part of a nationwide competition for schools to encourage children's interest and participation in recycling.

ENDS

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