GPF helps out Hamilton’s glass recycling strategy

Hamilton’s move to a kerbside collection service with separate glass crates has meant a substantial increase in the glass collected – so much so the Glass Packaging Forum has stepped in with a $22,000 grant to help manage it.

EnviroWaste Services was awarded the contract for the new service (from 1 July), which saw the Hamilton City Council ditch the previous co-mingled (all recyclables in one bin) recycling system. “It was great to see the council opt for the best practice of separate glass crates – these result in far more glass being recycled than co-mingled bins,” says Glass Packaging Forum Scheme Manager Dominic Salmon.

EnviroWaste Services General Manager Customers and Sustainability Glen Jones explains the new system required the construction of a bigger storage bunker. “The previous bunker at the Sunshine Avenue Transfer Station was only designed for commercial customers and only held six tonnes a month. The new bunkers can hold 10 times as much.”

The Forum’s funding helped with the construction of the new bunkers, which hold glass bottles and jars separated into its three base colours (brown, green and clear).

“This is the best way to store collected glass to ensure it’s of the highest possible quality before being sent to Auckland to be recycled into new containers,” Dominic says.