Where does the Recycling Go?

Recycling which is picked up from the kerbside or from the 5 recycling stations in Hutt City is taken to All Brite's recycling facility on Randwick Rd in Moera. The materials are sorted and processed in many different ways so that they can be remade into new products.

 

Glass

The glass is separated into three colour categories, clear, green and brown/blue. All of the glass bottles and jars are sent by truck to Auckland to a company called ACI Glass Manufacturers. Once at ACI the glass is melted in a kiln and remade back into glass bottles.

 

Tin

All of our tin cans are baled (squashed and tied together) and sent to Sims Pacific Metals in Otahuhu, Auckland. They are melted down to produce flat sheets of steel. The sheets are then made into new products.

 

Aluminium

The aluminium cans are baled and sent to Sims Pacific Metals in Seaview, Hutt City. The cans are then sent over to Australia where they are melted down into sheets of aluminium. The sheets are then made into new products.

 

Plastic

There are many different types of plastic bottles which come in various grades. These grades are clearly shown with a recycling symbol on the bottom of each product. Once collected the plastic is sorted out into the following groups;

	Green, blue and brown soft drink bottles like Sprite and L&P
	Clear bottles and jars such as Coke, juice, water bottles
	Janitorials such as shampoo or detergent bottles
	Milk bottles and cream bottles

The plastic gets baled and the majority is sent overseas into Hong Kong and then to China. The plastic gets to Hong Kong by being packed in 40-foot containers which are then loaded onto container ships and dispatched from Wellington Port.

Once the plastic is received overseas the labels are removed and the bottle tops taken off. The plastic is then chipped, washed and melted down and made into things like car bumpers, and material fibres that make such things as polar fleece clothing, and sails for boats.

 

 

Paper and Cardboard

Once collected paper and cardboard is separated into these categories;

• Newspaper
• Magazines
• Mixed Paper every other sort of paper and non-corrugated cardboard
• Corrugated Cardboard, the cardboard with the wavy lines

Some of the cardboard and paper is sent to mills in New Zealand but most of it is sent overseas to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. The paper and cardboard is shipped overseas by being baled and placed into containers.

All paper and cardboard is recycled to make new paper and cardboard products.