While the Forum's mobile crusher has certainly assisted in providing support to a number of Local Authorities and Community Recyclers involved in processing recovered glass it has become apparent to that there are many further opportunities which could be addressed with an even smaller machine that would also provide a finer finished product.

As a result Silaca Crushers, operators of the Mobile Crusher, have designed and developed a unit which sits on a skip bin or trailer, can be manually feed and as a result provide colour separated glass. This is an inexpensive unit that will allow for purchase by local operators who will then be able to deal with incoming collections without the need to store in volume before processing. For further information go to www.crushedglass.co.nz

Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island - Waiheke Resource Trust had received funding for a versatile crusher which enabled locally sourced glass aggregate to be used on the island. However the change in policy with regard to domestic collections of recyclables has resulted in the crusher no longer being required at this time and new opportunities are being sought for its use.

Palmerston North City Council

The council, in co-operation with Higgins Contractors, have produced cycle tracks and hard stand areas utilising glass in the base course. After successfully trialling a section of road this is one option for mixed glass aggregate. The Council is to modify its domestic recycling collections so as to keep glass separate from the other recyclable materials - this will allow the collection of quality glass.

NEW SPLIT BIN – Multi Products Kept Separate

The Forum recently committed to supporting the development of a unique household recycling bin and modified truck which will allow for glass to be kept separate from other household recyclables without requiring the need for a separate collection system. This process will allow for one trip mechanized handling while still keeping the glass separate and the containers largely unbroken allowing for colour separation and quality material for remanufacture.

5% Crushed Glass Aggregate Project

Palmerston North City Council in partnership with Fullcircle and Higgins Aggregate have initiated a "5% Crushed Glass Aggregate Project". The project aim is to prove the concept of crushed glass aggregate in the New Zealand context and pave the way for other New Zealand organisations to use excess recycled glass in this manner. This project is still awaiting sign off from Transit New Zealand.

Click here to download full project details [pdf 1.0MB].

At his address to the Packaging Product Stewardship Meeting, the Minister Nick Smith noted that packaging is a very visible part of the waste stream and he receives a lot of correspondence about its role in our litter problem.

The Forum funded a glass Scooter Vac trial in Palmerston North which was determined as very successful on picking up broken glass from roads and footpaths. There is now a need to promote to Local Authorities as an option to their current cleanup methods.

The Forum has worked with Transit New Zealand, Fulton Hogan and Higgins Contractors to establish a modified specification for road base course allowing for 5% glass. This provides ongoing opportunities to utilise locally that glass which cannot be supplied for the manufacture of new bottles and jars.

Nelson City Council / Fulton Hogan

Nelson City Council in co operation with Fulton Hogan have trialled crushing techniques to enable the inclusion of glass in roading projects as a result glass from a number of South Island locations is now being used for this purpose.

Spy Valley Wines - Glass Mulch in vineyard

Spy Valley Wines have purchased a glass crusher from America and are now crushing their own mulch in their vineyard - see www.spyvalleywine.co.nz.

Waste Busters received funds from the Glass Forum to facilitate the upgrade of glass storage bunkers, thereby ensuring colour separation and increased consignments for the remanufacturing of the material into new containers.

Hurunui Recycling

Hurunui Recycling received a small grant to modify their crushing machine with the objective of producing a glass material for the development of building products. With a change in the structure of collection programmes this project has been abandoned.

While not financially supported by the Forum, CCC Two (formally MetaNZ) are producing ground glass for replacement in sand blasting and a filtration medium.

Originally facilitated through MetaNZ, and now in association with 5R Solutions, trials are underway with the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute to certify the use of glass as a medium in the construction of golf greens. The material has also been successfully used as the drainage medium in sport fields.

The Glass Packaging Forum commissioned Eco Consult in Christchurch to report on glass as a very effective filtration Medium. If you wish to receive the report please email Donna at the Glass Packaging Forum – donna.glassforum@xtra.co.nz

Smart Bottles

Smart Bottles received funding for this boutique voluntary container reuse programme in South Island. The Glass Packaging Forum is now able to monitor the effectiveness of a non mandatory container recovery system.

Wastebusters Central Otago received funding from the Glass Forum to have Fulton Hogan crush approx 1700 tonnes of glass into aggregate from their stockpile.

Wastebusters also received a grant for a part payment of a Forkhoist to enable glass to be loaded directly into shipping containers so as to keep the colour separated and sent directly to OI New Zealand for the manufacturer of new containers.

Shining Path has recently received funding to refine their crusher operation thereby producing a greater range of glass aggregate for a number of local uses. With the rationalisation of the Wastebusters operation this will provide further opportunities. Shining Path has also developed a 'back lit' glass panel allowing for illuminated paths.

In this picturesque area the Department of Conservation has been utilising crushed glass as a base course for the construction of walking tracks.

The glass crusher is a versatile machine producing versatile products. It's about the size of a skip and fits on the back of its own trailer so can be moved around the country.

The glass crusher will munch its way through glass stockpiles and process the glass into to a range of different crush sizes. Different size glass can be used for different things.