Page 48 - Plastcs News August 2017

INTErNATIONAL NEWS

New Zealand opens its first PET recycling plant

ew Zealand's first PET recycling plant has opened with options are getting fewer, meaning countries need to find
Nthe help of a government subsidy. Keith Smith, CEo solutions for their own waste."
of Flight Plastics Ltd. in Wellington said that the parent
company, Flight Group Ltd., has spent NZ$12 million Asked about China's ban on imported waste plastic, Smith
(US$8.8 million) on a full upgrade at its facility, including a said: "We'll wait and see how it pans out eventually.
wash plant for PET bottles. NZ$4 million (US$2.9 million)of But it seems China will be more difficult for mixed-
the total was a grant from the New Zealand government's plastic importers." Chris Bishop, the region's member of
Waste Minimization Fund, which supports projects that parliament, addded: "Given China recently announced a
reduce environmental harm. The fund is backed by a ban on importing recyclables from countries, including
levy charged on waste disposed of at landfills. Smith said New Zealand, it's brilliant to have this facility set up and
the wash plant and other work at the facility enables ready to go." Smith said the company is making containers
Flight Plastic with 50 to 80 percent recycled content. Flight Group was
to pr o duce established in 1907 and initially made leather luggage.
thermoformed
pa ck a gi n g
from recycled UK to ban microbeads in
PET bottles.
The company cosmetic products
i n st a lle d
extr usio n he United Kingdom
equipment to Tgovernment is to
use recycled PET introduce a ban on the
flake starting in sale and manufacture of
2014, using imported flake to prove the process and microbeads in cosmetic
establish a customer base. "We had very encouraging a n d p e rson a l c a re
results, so the next step was to close the loop and install products, including tooth
our own wash plant," he said. Flight Plastic has the pastes, later this year.
capacity to recycle 6,000 metric tons of PET a year. It gets Environment secretary
feedstock from curbside collections around the nation, Michael Gove announced
which collect about 8,000 tonnes annually. July 21 that the ban on the tiny pieces of plastic,
which can be swallowed by marine life, is part of
Smith said 20,000 tonnes of virgin PET is imported to New the government’s pledge to reduce plastic waste in
Zealand annually and he hopes that can be reduced. "It oceans. The ban will be effective June 30, 2018, a day
will take time to ramp up to full throughput," he said. before a similar ban takes effect in the United States.
He also thinks New Zealanders will recycle more when Gove’s comments came on the same day as new figures
they know the product can be repurposed onshore. "If revealed that more than nine billion fewer plastic
kiwis know there's a local solution, recycling rates should bags were used since the government introduced a
improve. There are no hard figures, but only 30 percent 5 pence charge in october 2015. This showed an 83
to 35 percent of PET finds its way into the curbside percent drop in plastic bag consumption. Speaking at
collections," Smith said.Flight Plastics director Derek WWF UK earlier this month, Gove pledged to deliver
Lander said in a statement the opening of the wash plant a “Green Brexit,” part of which would be to fight the
was a milestone for Flight and its customers. "Five years 8 million metric tonnes of plastic discard into oceans.
ago, we assessed the economic and environmental costs In response to the announcement, Greenpeace UK
and benefits of introducing a wash plant in New Zealand. said the decision marked a victory for its “microbeads
The business case was predicated on the wash plant being campaign.” In a blog written by Louisa Casson, the
part of an integrated solution to use recycled PET flake environmental organization said the decision was the
in onsite production." Smith added: "Offshore recycling “the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date.

Plastics News | August 2017 48