Recycling becoming firmly established principle

Press, 29 May 1982, Page 20

Recycling becoming firmly established principle

By

NEILL BIRSS

Twenty thousand tons of sawdust a year is available to be taken away free, by some enterprising Christchurch person or firm. This is one of the opportunities on the books of Mr Charles Broad. Resource Conservation Office with the Department of Trade and Industry. Mr Broad, of Wellington, sees recycling as becoming a firmly established principle in New Zealand industry and believes it will mean the saving of a “vast” amount of overseas exchange and the creation of jobs. Private enterprise is expected to figure large in recycling, says Mr Broad, who was in Christchurch this week with the Local Bodies Liaison Group on Resource Recovery. The -group holds two meetings a year, one in each island, and is made up of representatives of Government departments, recycling industries, consultants, and elected and staff representatives of local bodies. Since the recycling scheme began in 1978 there have been considerable economic gains. Material being recycled to New Zealand industry each year is increasing by about 60.000 tons a year. A number of firms' are now exchanging multiwall

bags, for example. In their first use, the bags may contain a milk product; they may then be bought for packaging a stock food. Another of the scheme's successes is the disposal of lime slurry from a Wellington industry. It is now being used in base courses for Wellington roads; someone realised it was the same material the Romans had used in many of their longsurviving public works. Many of the Western nations that are doing much better economically than New Zealand are investing in expensive facilities and machinery for recycling: New Zealand is concentrating on cheaper, labour-inten-sive approaches. "We recently suggested that local authorities should, have comprehensive recycling facilities established at all rubbish tips," says Mr Broad. "If they did. about 500 extra jobs would be created." Entrepreneurs are welcome. In Taupo a contractor with a staff of three is doing well from recycling. He has developed 21 outlets for salvaged material, including one tor old television sets. Another recycler with five workers is thriving at Whangarei. Many old lawnmowers and refrigerators are being salv-

aged from various tips, reconditioned. and exported to Pacific areas. The department runs a waste-material exchange bulletin, listing wastes available and those sought. Miss •Carmel Eccleton. the regional waste organiser of the Department of Trade and Industry in Christchurch, helps “ to arrange local “marriages" between the creators and users of waste materials. Christchurch's potential sawmill mountain arises from the closing of the Fletcher Wood Panels

particle-board factory in Riccarton last year. The sawdust, from various factories, is free to those who can dispose of it to the factories’ satisfaction. About a thousand tons is from treated timber, and cannot be used for horticulture or for fuel except in suitable boilers. The waste includes chips. The local bodies recycling group’s 60 or so members visited local authority and industrial recycling facilities in Christchurch on Wednesday, and had discussions on Thursday.