80-year-old wins award for environmental innovation

80-year-old wins prestigious award for environmental innovation

An 80-year old who thinks old age is for others has been awarded the Clean Technology Trusts', "Most Promising Clean Technology Award" at the Electra Business Awards.

Barry Lucinsky, founder of Silaca Glass Crushers Ltd, has developed ways to crush and re-cycle glass to avoid having it dumped into landfills. This is not his first venture. At 70 Mr Lucinsky became chairman and later chief executive of Keep New Zealand Beautiful, 'retiring' when he was 75.

His award-winning business start-up began after he impressed the New Zealand Glass Forum, which granted him seed money to find a way to divert glass from the landfill. Mr Lucinsky developed a glass crusher, travelling throughout New Zealand to demonstrate it. He also worked with the New Zealand Transport Agency to develop a specification for crushed glass in roading aggregates.

"It doesn't matter how old you are," Mr Lucinsky says, "As long as you have a good idea and the drive to succeed. And I have both - in spades."

Mr Lucinsky set up a plant at the Otaki in 2008 to crush all of the recycled glass from the Otaki and Waikanae transfer stations. Local engineers built the crusher to his design and Silaca Glass Crushers have since exported the crusher and allied equipment to Australia and the Cook Islands as well as selling it domestically.

The Otaki plant crushes 1,000-tonnes of glass annually, recycling it into marketable products. With local landfill disposal costs at $100 tonne, the crusher saves ratepayers in excess of $100,000 each year.

The crushers have evolved to produce a variety of aggregates to widen their reuse and application. The plant produces recycled glass pavers, both courtyard and decorative; supplies a weed mulch for vineyards and an aggregate for roads and driveways.

It's expanding to accept all of the recycled glass in the lower North Island, creating 10 new jobs. Mr Lucinsky says, the company will recycle an extra 5,000-tonnes of glass. The saving in landfill costs should approach $500,000 annually.

ENDS

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