Sustainable End-of-Life Options for Plastics in New Zealand

Research Project Report 

Sustainable 

End-of-Life 

Options for 

Plastics in 

New Zealand 

2005

ISBN 0-473-10612-4 

Research undertaken by Nikki Withington for Plastics New Zealand Inc. 

This document has been printed on 100% recycled paper, and coloured with water soluble vegetable dyes

Executive Summary 

The purpose of this project was to conduct a preliminary investigation into sustainable end-of-life 

options for plastics recovered in New Zealand, to help support and encourage the achievement of the 

New Zealand Packaging Accord plastics sector recycling target. 

The project was specifically developed to gain a better understanding of what happens to plastics at 

the end-of-life (EoL) stage; to then be able to determine feasible, sustainable solutions for increasing 

the recovery of packaging and other plastics. 

Statistical analysis of plastic material in New Zealand in 2004 showed: 

• 262,904 tonnes of virgin resin and reel/sheet stock were imported for manufacture in NZ. 

• 35,442 tonnes were collected for recovery, of which 79% (28,004 tonnes) was packaging. 

• The Plastics Sector is on track to meet the Packaging Accord recovery target of 23% (by weight 

as a percentage of consumption) by 2008. 

• Current plastic material recycling rates in NZ match international best practice. 

• The majority of products collected were film [predominantly LDPE], and beverage (soft drink, juice 

and milk) bottles [HDPE and PET]. 

An assessment of the current national infrastructure for recycling and alternative end-of-life options 

revealed: 

Recycling 

• The majority of plastic (18,082t), was recovered from post-consumer industrial sources followed by 

post-consumer domestic (12,873t), and then pre-consumer industrial sources (4,487t). 

• Most of the NZ population (96.8%) had access to recycling. 

• There are over 38 commercial recyclers operating in NZ. 

• Kerbside or drop-off recycling services were provided across 59 of the 74 council districts in 2004. 

• 55% of the recovered material was exported (mainly to Asia). 

• The majority of recovered material was baled in its original form and exported. 

• HDPE and PP are processed onshore, most PET is exported. 

• The end-market price for non-coloured plastic was greater than for coloured plastic. 

Alternative End-of-Life Options 

• Material recycling will continue to be the primary end-of-life option for plastics, followed by energy 

recovery for non-recyclable materials (such as contaminated food packaging); and composting (for 

100% degradable material) as a separate option. 

• Degradable plastics are becoming more common in NZ, and the level of degradability of plastic 

products needs to be measured, standardised and communicated through labelling systems. 

• There need to be robust systems in place to prevent potential contamination between plastic 

recycling and composting streams. 

Executive Summary 

2

• Commercial energy recovery facilities have not been developed in NZ as yet. 

• Some material types, such as PVC, are not suitable for energy recovery. 

Key factors influencing the recovery of plastic material include: 

• voluntary industry approaches, such as the Packaging Accord, backed up by Government’s 

preparedness to consider regulation should these prove ineffective 

• lack of information about how much material is available, and where it is available from 

• confusion over product types manufactured from a variety of plastic resin types (e.g. food trays 

and ice cream containers) meaning that they are not being collected 

• the need for standardisation and labelling of plastic products 

• the cost of transportation 

• lack of information on future end-market trends and recovered plastic material prices; as well as 

the need for evaluation of current recovery techniques 

• communication between all parties in the life cycle of plastic products. 

In the short term, plastics recovery will be improved by working back from the end of the product life 

cycle. This will involve meeting recovery targets, improving collection procedures and encouraging 

product users to recycle. In the longer term, the focus will be on smarter product design, more 

efficient use of resources during manufacturing, reducing transportation costs, and encouraging 

parties involved in the plastic life cycle to communicate. Expansion of the recovery infrastructure to 

include a wider range of products will be required. The long-term focus will also have to 

accommodate future influences such as the increasing use of degradable plastics, and whether 

product stewardship legislation and subsequent regulations will be introduced. 

Recommended actions from this report focus on improving information and expanding the end 

markets for recovered plastics products. In addition, there are a number of recommendations for 

action by Plastics New Zealand and the wider Plastics Industry. These focus on: 

• locating and collecting resins and products during the manufacturing and pre-consumer phase 

and reducing contamination levels 

• improving standardisation and labelling within the plastics industry 

• investigating international best practices for energy recovery 

• investigating compostable and degradable plastics, and their best end-of-life options 

• monitoring and evaluating information and statistics regularly 

•providing regular updates on future product and material trends e.g. PLA 

•promoting Product Stewardship and Design for the Environment best practice. 

Many parties are involved in the life cycle of plastic products. The final recommended actions include 

developing better communication channels, improving labelling systems, liaising with councils on 

kerbside council contracts and encouraging the public to recycle more. 

3 Sustainable End-of-Life Options for Plastics in New Zealand

Acknowledgements 

Special thanks are given in particular to the commercial recycling companies that participated in 

the 2005 PNZ Recycling Survey of 2004 recycling data; and also to the Ministry for the 

Environment for providing Plastics New Zealand with raw data from their national council survey 

undertaken in partnership with Local Government New Zealand, as the information was valuable 

and greatly appreciated. 

Plastics New Zealand members and staff have willingly provided data and assistance. A number 

of people from the wider waste and resource recovery sectors have freely given their time and 

information. Initially Carolyn Cox and subsequently Ket Bradshaw, in their roles as Environmental 

Managers of Plastics New Zealand, have overseen the project and provided invaluable guidance 

for this report. 

Acknowledgements 

4

Contents 

Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................................2 

Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................4 

List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................7 

List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................7 

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................8 

Purpose ..........................................................................................................................................9 

Method ..........................................................................................................................................9 

Results ........................................................................................................................................10 

1 Plastic Material in NZ ..............................................................................................................10 

1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................10 

1.2 Products Manufactured in NZ ........................................................................................11 

1.3 Plastic Material Available for Recovery ............................................................................12 

1.4 Key Points ......................................................................................................................13 

2 Statistical Analysis of Plastic Material Types that are Currently Being Collected in New Zealand14 

2.1 Total Amount of Plastic Material Recovered in New Zealand ..........................................14 

2.2 Progress on Packaging Recycling Targets ......................................................................15 

2.3 Breakdown of Recovered Plastic by Material Type ..........................................................16 

2.4 Plastic Recovery Trends..................................................................................................16 

2.5 Breakdown of Colours and Product Types ....................................................................18 

2.5.1 PET ........................................................................................................................18 

2.5.2 HDPE ....................................................................................................................19 

2.5.3 Proportion of Beverage Bottles ..............................................................................19 

2.5.4 PVC........................................................................................................................20 

2.5.5 LDPE......................................................................................................................20 

2.5.6 PP ..........................................................................................................................21 


3 Assessment of the Current NZ Infrastructure for Recovery and End Markets ..............................22 

3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................22 

3.2 Infrastructure for Recovery..............................................................................................22 

3.2.1 Sources of Recovered Plastic Material ....................................................................22 

3.2.2 Facilities for Material Recovery ..............................................................................24 

3.2.3 Parties Involved in the Recovery of Plastic Material ................................................25 

3.2.4 Funding of Council Material Collection Schemes ....................................................26 

3.3 End Markets for Recovered Plastic ................................................................................26 

3.3.1 Types of End Markets ............................................................................................26 

3.3.2 International Export Markets ..................................................................................27 

3.3.3 Forms of End-Market Material ................................................................................28 

3.3.4 Prices for End-Market Material................................................................................28 


4 Alternative End-of-Life Options ..............................................................................................29 

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................29 

4.2 Composting Degradable Plastics ....................................................................................29 

4.2.1 Types of Degradable Plastics ..................................................................................29 

4.2.2 Sources of Raw Materials for Degradable Plastics ..................................................29 

4.2.3 Pros........................................................................................................................29 

4.2.4 Cons ......................................................................................................................30 


4.2.5 Measure of Degradability ........................................................................................30 

4.2.6 Developments in NZ ..............................................................................................30 

4.2.7 International Developments in Degradable Plastics ................................................31 

4.2.8 Viability of Composting Plastics ..............................................................................32 

4.3 Energy Recovery ............................................................................................................32 

4.3.1 Developments in NZ ..............................................................................................32 

4.3.2 Pros........................................................................................................................32 

4.3.3 Cons ......................................................................................................................33 

4.3.4 Recovery Practices in Europe ................................................................................33 

4.3.5 Viability of Energy Recovery in NZ ..........................................................................34 

4.4 Storage ..........................................................................................................................34 


5 Factors Influencing Recovery ..................................................................................................36 

5.1 The Drivers ....................................................................................................................36 

5.2 Lack of information ........................................................................................................36 

5.3 Contamination ................................................................................................................36 

5.3.1 Contamination at Source ........................................................................................36 

5.3.2 Contamination from Products ................................................................................36 

5.4 Lack of Standardisation and Labelling ............................................................................37 

5.5 Facilities to Recover Material ..........................................................................................37 

5.6 End Markets ..................................................................................................................38 

5.7 Communication and Education ......................................................................................38 

5.8 Future Influences on Recovery........................................................................................39 

5.8.1More-efficent Resource Use ....................................................................................39 

5.8.2 Increasing Use of Degradable Materials ..................................................................39 

5.8.3 Evaluating Recycling Technologies..........................................................................39 

5.8.4 Legislation ..............................................................................................................39 


Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................41 

Recommendations..........................................................................................................................42 

R.1 Improve Information ......................................................................................................42 

R.2 Work with Plastics Industry ............................................................................................42 

R.3 Plastics NZ to Work On..................................................................................................42 

R.4 Work with Other Parties to ............................................................................................43 

R.5 Expand End Markets for Plastics....................................................................................43 

Appendices ....................................................................................................................................44 

Appendix 1: Supplementary Data Table ....................................................................................44 

Appendix 2: Glossary ................................................................................................................44 

Appendix 2.1 End of Life ......................................................................................................44 

Appendix 2.2 Waste ............................................................................................................44 

Appendix 2.3 Product Stewardship ......................................................................................44 

Appendix 2.4 Recyclable and Recoverable ..........................................................................44 

Appendix 2.5 Free Riders ....................................................................................................44 

Appendix 2.6 Material Types ................................................................................................45 

Appendix 2.7 Sources of End-of-Life Plastics ......................................................................45 

Appendix 2.8 Forms of Plastic End-market Product..............................................................46 

Appendix 2.9 Imports and Exports ......................................................................................46 

Appendix 3: Website Links and Contact Details ........................................................................46 

Appendix 3.1 Website Links ................................................................................................46 

Contents 

6

List of Figures 

Figure 1: Product life cycle diagram ............................................................................................................................8 

Figure 2: Total amount of plastic material available in NZ for potential recovery ..........................................................10 

Figure 3: Total tonnage of plastic products manufactured in NZ in 2004 (Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey) ..11 

Figure 4: End uses of plastic products manufactured in NZ in 2004 (Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey) ........12 

Figure 5: Annual total tonnages of plastic recovered by commercial recyclers (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 14 

Figure 6: Amount of plastic packaging material consumed (top line) and recovered (bottom line) from 2000-2004 

(Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance and Recycling Surveys of 2004 data)....................................................................15 

Figure 7: Total amount of plastic recovered in 2004 by material type (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ..............16 

Figure 8: Annual total tonnage trends for each of the main recovered plastic material types 

(Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ......................................................................................................................17 

Figure 9: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PET material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ..........18 

Figure 10: Further breakdown of colours from the total amount of PET (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ..........18 

Figure 11: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered HDPE material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ....19 

Figure 12: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PVC material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005)........20 

Figure 13: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered LDPE material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005)......20 

Figure 14: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PP material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ..........21 

Figure 15: Sources of plastic recovered nationally by commercial recyclers (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ....22 

Figure 16: Implementation of kerbside recovery by commercial recyclers on behalf of councils, for all recyclable 

materials (Source: MfE Council Survey, 2005) ............................................................................................................24 

Figure 17: Percentage of the total NZ population with access to recycle material through kerbside collection 

and/or public drop-off systems in 2004 (Source: MfE Council Survey, 2005) ..............................................................25 

Figure 18: Other material recovered by commercial recycling companies (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ......26 

Figure 19: Breakdown of end markets for recovered NZ plastic in 2004 (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ........27 

Figure 20: Predicted biological material proportion from total plastic resources 

(Source: Brochure on Biotechnology, Scion, 2005) ....................................................................................................31 

Figure 21: Plastics recovery in Western Europe (Source: PlasticsEurope) ..................................................................34 

Figure 22: Example of a new product introduced to the market that looks similar to an existing version, 

but is made from a different plastic material type (Source: Recovered Materials Foundation, 2005)............................37 

Figure 23: Main sources of end-of-life plastics –- using plastic beverage bottles as an example ................................45 

List of Tables 

Table 1: Breakdown of total product manufactured and proportion of packaging for each material type ....................11 

Table 2: Annual total tonnages of recovered plastic material and the proportions of packaging 

(Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) ......................................................................................................................14 

Table 3: Recovery progress from 2000-2004 and predictions for 2005-2008 ............................................................15 

Table 4: Examples of countries that desire recovered materials ..................................................................................27 

Table 5: Breakdown of amounts of recovered plastic material from 2000-2004 by material type ................................44 

Table 6: Definitions of plastic material types adapted from the Plastics Identification Code ........................................45 

Table 7: Descriptions of different plastic end market product forms............................................................................46 

Table 8: Methods of Importing/Exporting....................................................................................................................46 


Introduction 

In 2003 the New Zealand Plastics Industry signed up to a Plastics Sustainability Initiative. The initiative 

has a 5-year agenda with the aim of helping to maximize the growth and success of plastics-based 

technology in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner. 

Plastics New Zealand (PNZ) Incorporated signed the New Zealand Packaging Accord in 2004 after 

preparing the Plastics Sector Action Plan. The Accord has a 2008 national recycling target of 23% of 

plastic packaging material (by weight as a percentage of consumption). To help achieve the 23% 

recycling target, a number of projects have been undertaken. 

This project was carried out as part of the commitment PNZ has to sustainability through taking a life 

cycle approach 1 . It fits in with the Best Practice Programme 2 , which, in its third year, addresses 

product stewardship, design for the environment and the efficient use of resources. 

Use 

Market 

PRODUCT 

LIFE CYCLE 

End of Life 

Concept 

Potential to: 

- Reuse 

- Recycle 

- Recover 

Manufacture 

Development 

Design 

Figure 1: Product life cycle diagram 3 

1. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is the investigation into the amount of impact a product may have on the environment through all stages of its ‘life’. 

The ‘cradle to grave’ approach (as it is commonly called), covers the complete life cycle circle from concept to design; development to 

manufacturing; marketing and use; through to product end of life. 

2. A three-year programme run by PNZ for companies working towards Best Practice throughout the stages of product life. For more information 

visit: www.plastics.org.nz/env-bestpractice.aspid=643 

3. Parties involved in the life cycle of plastic products include: marketers, product designers, raw material suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, 

brand owners, retailers, consumers, commercial recyclers and end-market customers. 

Introduction 

8

Purpose 

The purpose of this project was a preliminary investigation into sustainable end-of-life options for 

plastics recovered in New Zealand, to help support and encourage the achievement of the New 

Zealand Packaging Accord plastics recycling target. The project was specifically developed to gain a 

better understanding of what happens to plastics at the end-of-life (EoL) stage and to then be able to 

determine feasible, sustainable solutions for increasing the recovery of packaging and other plastics. 

Method 

The project was conducted by: 

• statistically analysing plastic material types currently being collected in New Zealand 

• assessing the current national infrastructure for recycling and alternative end-of-life options 

• identifying key factors that may influence the recovery of plastic material, and 

•recommending ways to improve national recovery. 

Statistics were gathered from a number of sources: 

•A survey of 38 recycling companies on 2004 recycling data was completed via posting out hardcopy 

survey documents, with supplementary telephone calls and emails. Although only 13 survey 

forms were completed, remaining company surveys were followed up, mostly for approval to 

extrapolate 2003 data. 

•A March 2005 survey of 74 city/district councils was conducted by the Ministry for the 

Environment for 2004 national recycling activities. The surveys were completed by telephone, and 

raw data of the results were provided for use. 

• The Packaging Council of NZ was consulted on packaging import information. 

• National 2004 PNZ Mass Balance Data gave information on the quantity of plastic products 

manufactured in NZ and the respective end markets. 

• Information was also collected from the internet, archived documents at the PNZ offices and from 

latest news articles. 

The report contains an initial study on plastic material available for recovery in NZ; a statistical analysis 

of collected materials; an assessment of recycling infrastructure; comparisons to international 

recovery practices; an identification of key influences on plastics recovery; and recommendations on 

improving recovery. 


Results 

1. Plastic Material in NZ 

1.1 Overview 

The total amount of plastic material in NZ available for onshore recovery is potentially all imported 

plastic raw material and products manufactured in NZ minus exported recovered material (usually 

measured on an annual basis). 

Figure 2: Total amount of plastic material available in NZ for potential recovery 

Imports consist of mainly raw material (in the form of virgin resin) and products (from reel/sheet stock 

through to filled packaging, furniture to appliances.) Having all raw material imported, in theory, makes 

the mass balance approach relatively straight-forward. The amount of raw material imported can 

principally be determined from import statistics; however the total amount of plastic in all imported 

products is difficult to quantify, as plastic can be thoroughly intermingled with other materials. 

Exported material consists of products that are manufactured from raw materials, or modified (such 

as packaging that is filled in NZ); and material that has been recovered to be sent overseas for endof-life 

processing. 

Results 

10

1.2 Products Manufactured in NZ 

In 2004, 262,904 tonnes [t] of virgin resin and reel/sheet stock were imported for manufacture in NZ 4 . 

Figure 3 shows the total tonnage manufactured and the proportion of packaging for each respective 

material type 5 . 

Figure 3: Total tonnage of plastic products manufactured in NZ in 2004 (Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey) 

The majority of material used to manufacture products was predominantly LDPE (79,513t), followed 

by HDPE (52,587t) and PET (22,433t). The highest proportions of packaging by tonnage were also 

LDPE, HDPE and PET with 61,543, 21,587 and 22,433 tonnes for each respectively. However as a 

percentage of the total amount of products manufactured, the highest packaging proportions were 

LDPE (77.4%), PET (74.9%) and PS (70.0%). PVC has the lowest proportion at 3.5%, reflecting a 

significant shift away from its use in packaging. 

Material Type Tonnage Manufactured Proportion of Packaging Proportion of Packaging 

[Tonnes] [Tonnes] [%] 

PET 22,433 16,802 74.9 

HDPE 52,587 21,508 40.9 

PVC 39,202 1,372 3.5 

LDPE 79,513 61,543 77.4 

PP 32,402 16,233 50.1 

PS 12,942 9,059 70.0 

EPS 8,123 2,729 33.6 

Other 15,702 8,715 55.5 

Table 1: Breakdown of total product manufactured and proportion of packaging for each material type 

4. Source: 2004 PNZ Mass Balance Survey 

5. Refer to Appendix 2.6 for definitions of material type acronyms 


From the 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey, the main product types and predominant material types 

manufactured in NZ during the 2004 calendar year were (see Figure 4): 

• flexible food packaging [LDPE], 22% (57,839t) 

• rigid food packaging [PET and HDPE], 22% (57,839t) 

• construction [PVC and EPS], 19% (49,952t) 

• agricultural [HDPE, PVC and LDPE], 14% (36,807t) 

• flexible non-food packaging [LDPE], 6% (15,774t). 

The results 6 also showed that of the total amount of plastic products manufactured in NZ: 

• 71.3% (187,451t) was consumed in NZ 

• 28.7% was directly (39,436t) and indirectly 7 (36,018t) exported 

Figure 4: End uses of plastic products manufactured in NZ in 2004 (Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey) 

1.3 Plastic Material Available for Recovery 

Although at least 71.3% (187,451t) of the products manufactured in NZ in 2004 were consumed in 

NZ; not all material was recoverable in the same year of production. Packaging has the highest turnaround 

from manufacture to recovery, whereas PVC pipes may be below ground for more than 50 

years. 

6. Source: 2005 PNZ Mass Balance Survey of 2004 data 

7. Refer to Appendix 2.9 for definitions of direct and indirect importing/exporting 

Results 

12

Therefore the data in Figure 3 are not a true representation of total plastic material available for 

recovery in NZ, as product types within each material-type category differ. For example, although 

there was a large amount of PVC product manufactured in NZ, the majority of this material would be 

for agricultural and construction purposes, generally not products that would be easy to recover. On 

the other hand, PET would mainly be manufactured into single-use packaging products for fast 

moving consumer goods (predominantly beverage bottles). These frequently used products are more 

easily recovered because the collection infrastructure is in place. 

In order to calculate the total amount of plastic material available for recovery in NZ, accurate data are 

needed on the amount imported and exported. 

1.4 Key Points 

• 262,904 tonnes of virgin resin and reel/sheet stock were imported for manufacture in NZ in 2004. 

•Products manufactured were predominantly from LDPE (79,513t), HDPE (52,587t), and PET 

(22,433t); the proportions of packaging for each were 77.4%, 41.1% and 100% respectively. 

• Better information on imported material and products is needed. 

• At least 71.3% of the products manufactured in NZ were consumed in NZ in 2004 (although all 

were not available for recovery); 15.0% of the products were exported directly, and 13.7% were 

exported indirectly. 


2. Statistical Analysis of Plastic Material Types Currently 

Being Collected in New Zealand 

2.1 Total Amount of Plastic Material Recovered in New Zealand 

Results from the 2005 Survey of Recycling Companies for 2004 recycling data showed there were 

approximately 35,442 tonnes of plastic recovered by commercial recycling companies nationwide. As 

illustrated in Figure 5, over the four-year period from 2000, the amount of plastic material recovered 

increased steadily from an initial 26,703 tonnes. Around 3,000 more tonnes were collected in 2004 

compared to 2003; an increase of 9.9%. 

Figure 5: Annual total tonnages of plastic recovered by commercial recyclers (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

The survey also showed the majority of recovered plastic material was packaging (79.0%), and the 

proportion collected in 2004 had increased by approximately 5.1%, from 2003. 

Year Total Tonnage of Packaging Packaging 

Recovered Plastric [t] Proportion [t] Proportion [%] 

2000 26,703 - - 

2001 29,665 - - 

2002 30,190 23,305 77.2 

2003 32,239 23,816 73.9 

2004 35,442 28,004 79 

Table 2: Annual total tonnages of recovered plastic material and the proportions of packaging (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

Statistical Analysis of Plastic Material Types 

14

2.2 Progress on Packaging Recycling Targets 

The Packaging Accord 8 target of reaching a recycling proportion of 23% (by weight) from total plastic 

packaging consumption 9 by 2008 is on track. In 2003, the proportion of recycled plastic was 19% of 

the total amount of packaging consumed, and in 2004 it increased to 20%. 

Figure 6: Amount of plastic packaging material consumed (top line) and recovered (bottom line) from 2000-2004 (Source: 2005 PNZ 

Mass Balance and Recycling Surveys of 2004 data) 

Current trends indicate that by 2008 an estimated 150,000t of plastic packaging material will be 

consumed, an increase from 137,909t in 2004. This reflects both an increase in population and per 

capita consumption of plastic packaging. Consequently, if the amount of material consumed increases, 

the amount recovered will need to proportionately increase. In order to ensure current recovery 

progress stays on track, (to reach the 23% recycling target by 2008), the proportion of plastic 

packaging recovered needs to increase by at least 2000t (1%) per year over the 2005-2008 period. 

Year Consumed Recovered Recycling Proportion [%] 

2000 117,475 20,809 18 

2001 128,985 23,758 18 

2002 123,485 23,305 19 

2003 125,955 23,816 19 

2004 137,909 9 28,004 20 

2005 138,000 28,980 21 

2006 142,000 31,240 22 

2007 146,000 33,580 23 

2008 150,000 34,500 23 

Table 3: Recovery progress from 2000-2004 and predictions for 2005-2008 

8. For more information about the Packaging Accord, visit: www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/initiatives/packaging/, 

www.packaging.org.nz/accord.php, and www.plastics.org.nz/page.aspid=637 

9. Total plastic packaging consumption is estimated from total manufactured packaging in NZ less exports plus approximately 30% imported 

packaging. 


2.3 Breakdown of Recovered Plastic by Material Type 

Of the total 35,442t of plastic recovered in 2004, Figure 7 shows a breakdown of the quantities by 

each main material type collected. 10 

The largest quantity of material recovered was 12,444t of LDPE (including all other material and 

laminated films). The second-highest tonnage was HDPE with 8,932t, followed by PET with 8,016t. 

There were 2,412t of PVC recovered, 1,415t of PP, 417t of PS and 218t of EPS. The remaining 1,588t 

comprised a mixture of other plastic material types such as ABS and SAN. 11 

Figure 7: Total amount of plastic recovered in 2004 by material type 12 (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

2.4 Plastic Recovery Trends 

Figure 8 shows the annual trends in tonnages for each material collected from 2000 to 2004. 13 The 

total annual tonnages of PET and HDPE steadily increased over this period. The annual trend for PVC 

remained fairly constant with a small tonnage collected, compared to the significant increase of LDPE 

overall (even though the total tonnage of collected LDPE dipped in 2003). PP showed only a slight 

increase with relatively low tonnages collected. PS had the largest amount of material recovered in 

2000, which dropped in 2001, then slowly increased annually until 2004. 

10. As the imported packaging and non packaging component of total NZ consumption is unknown it is not possible to compare recovered 

plastic against consumption for each of the material types 

11. Note: Each material type consists of a range of products. For example: collected PVC comprised mainly cable/wiring, film and other products. 

For a breakdown of product types for the main material types refer to section 2.5 

12. Refer to Appendix 2.6 for a list of the plastic identification codes, material acronyms they correspond with, the full polymer names of each, 

and examples of common products that are manufactured from these materials 

13. Note: Recovery trends reflect manufacturing trends. For example, the decrease in the amount of PVC film being manufactured for packaging 

is reflected in a reduced amount available for recovery. 


16

There was a dramatic increase in the recorded amount of EPS recovered over the years, from 1t in 

2002, to 101t in 2003, and then 218t in 2004 14 , (and the amount recovered is expected to increase 

over the next few years). Finally, ‘other’ plastic material had a trend-line that fluctuated. Tonnage for 

this remaining mixture of plastic materials dropped between 2000 and 2002, increased in 2003, and 

showed slightly less recovered in 2004 (but still more than in 2002). 

It was assumed that in 2003 some of the ‘LDPE (Incl. Film)’ data was accounted for in the ‘other’ 

category, resulting in counterbalancing trend-lines. 

Overall, the materials with the greatest tonnages 15 from 2000-2004 were LDPE (including film), HDPE 

and PET. Total tonnages over the four-year period for each were 49,751t, 36,292t, and 30,353t 

respectively. 

Figure 8: Annual total tonnage trends for each of the main recovered plastic material types (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

14. This data was collected from commercial recyclers. Future surveys will endeavour to include all EPS recyclers. 

15. Refer to Appendix 1 for a table of total tonnages of plastic material recovered from 2000-2004. 


2.5 Breakdown of Colours and Product Types 

2.5.1 PET 

In 2004, 8,016t of PET material was recovered, and 99.8% of the recovered products were bottles. 

More specifically, 52.9% (4,230t) of the bottles were non-coloured, 38.0% (3047t) were green, 8.9% 

(714t) were amber, and 0.2% (16t) were other colours. Most of the bottles were beverage packaging 

for soft-drink, juice and water. It is expected that in the next few years, the proportion of blue-coloured 

PET recovered (currently recorded in the ‘Other colours’ category) will increase. 

The remaining 0.2% of PET was made up of non-coloured containers. 

Figure 9: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PET material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

Figure 10: Further breakdown of colours from the total amount of PET (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 


18

2.5.2 HDPE 

There were 8,932t of HDPE material recovered, of which 52.2% (4,660t) was non-coloured bottles, 

36.8% (3,290t) was coloured bottles, 7.8% was bags (5.1% non-coloured and 2.7% coloured), 2.1% 

was film and 1.1% was non-coloured containers. Like PET, most of these were bottles for beverage 

packaging and milk was the most common beverage packaged in HDPE. However most of the 

coloured HDPE was janitorial-grade packaging, used for cleaning products and products such as 

shampoos and conditioners. 

Figure 11: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered HDPE material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

2.5.3 Proportion of Beverage Bottles 

Overall, the total amount of beverage bottles (both PET and HDPE,) was calculated by adding the 

total amounts of non-coloured PET, coloured PET and non-coloured HDPE bottles together. This gave 

a total amount of 12,660t of beverage bottles. 


2.5.4 PVC 

Approximately 2,412t of PVC was collected, most of which was coloured cable/wiring coatings 

(78.1%), 16.3% was non-coloured film, and 5.6% coloured other products. 

Figure 12: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PVC material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

2.5.5 LDPE 

Of the 12,444t of LDPE collected, 56.4% (nearly 5,600t) was non-coloured film, 33.3% was coloured 

film, 6.2% was non-coloured bags, and 4.1% was coloured bags. 

Figure 13: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered LDPE material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 


20

2.5.6 PP 

And lastly, of the 1,415t of PP recovered, 76.0% was coloured film, 12.0% was coloured containers, 

8.0% was non-coloured containers and 4.0% was non-coloured film. 

Figure 14: Breakdown (by product type) of total recovered PP material (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 


• 35,442 tonnes of plastic were collected for recovery in 2004; of which 79% (28,004 tonnes) was 

packaging. 

• The 2004 recovery rate of plastics was at 20%, and is on track to meet the 23% Packaging Accord 

target by 2008. 

• Information on plastics recovery was broken down by material type, product type, and colour. 

• Annual recovery trends for each material type were produced. 

• The majority of products collected were film [predominantly LDPE], and beverage (soft drink, juice 

and milk) bottles [HDPE and PET]. 


3. Assessment of the Current NZ Infrastructure for Recovery 

and End Markets 

3.1 Introduction 

To be able to understand the potential for recovery of plastics in NZ, the first step was to investigate 

the current infrastructure for material collection and the types of end markets that exist. Infrastructure 

for the recovery of plastic material incorporated: 

• sources 

• facilities 

• parties involved, and 

• how the recovery was funded. 

Gaining a better understanding about the current end markets helps in an investigation of additional 

end markets by targeting new customers, different forms of material and being aware of the range of 

prices offered for various materials. 

3.2 Infrastructure for Recovery 

3.2.1 Sources of Recovered Plastic Material 

The three main sources for the total 35,442 tonnes of recovered plastic material were 16 : 

a) pre-consumer industrial 

b) post-consumer industrial 

c) post-consumer domestic 

Figure 15: Sources of plastic recovered nationally by commercial recyclers (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

16.Refer to Appendix 2.7 for definitions of each main source for recovered plastic material. 

Current NZ Infrastructure for Recovery and End Markets 

22

3.2.1.1 Pre-consumer Industrial 

From the 2005 Recycling Survey it was found that in 2004 the least amount of plastic was recovered 

through pre-consumer industrial collections. The 4,487t of pre-consumer industrial material was 

mostly scrap and products that were out of design specification or rejected due to defects. 

The majority of the scrap and rejected products would have been recycled in-house through 

feedstock recycling, as long as it was clean. (It is important to note material that was recycled inhouse 

through feedstock recycling was not incorporated as part of the pre-consumer industrial data; 

and therefore does not contribute to the recycling target.) 

Pre-consumer industrial material was collected mainly by commercial recycling companies, using 

skips, cages, and other containers; or transported by the manufacturer through alternative 

arrangements. 

3.2.1.2 Post-consumer Industrial 

The largest proportion of plastic recovered in 2004 was post-consumer industrial. The 18,082t mainly 

consisted of plastic film used as wrapping around pallets of stock for protection during transportation 

and storage. The remaining post-consumer industrial material included mainly damaged/faulty goods 

from the modification/filling of plastic packaging. 

Again this material was collected by commercial recycling companies via methods mentioned above. 

Commercial recycling companies regularly collect this material from cages or bins that they own and 

place outside the ’Inwards Goods’ of major supermarkets and retailers. 

3.2.1.3 Post-consumer Domestic 

In the third category, there was 12,873t of post-consumer domestic material recovered. This 

consisted of plastic products used and disposed of in kerbside recycling receptacles, at drop-off 

centres or through public collection methods such as recycling bins at events. Most of the material 

was collected at the kerbside and consisted of used household plastic products, predominantly 

beverage packaging such as milk, soft-drink and juice bottles. At drop-off centres and through event 

recycling, the majority of collected material was plastic beverage packaging, mainly from products 

intended for ‘out and about’ use. 

This material was collected by commercial recyclers, mainly under contract with local councils; at 

public drop-off facilities; or collected by community groups (material collected this way would then be 

passed on to commercial recyclers). 

The number of city/district councils that introduced post-consumer domestic kerbside collections of 

recyclable material between 1989 and 2005 increased at an exponential rate. Out of the 74 

city/district councils surveyed by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), 55 had implemented kerbside 

collection systems in their regions. While a number of councils are expected to introduce kerbside 

recycling in the next few years, the rate of growth is expected to decrease, (see Figure 16.) 


Figure 16: Implementation of kerbside recovery by commercial recyclers on behalf of councils, for all recyclable materials (Source: MfE 

Council Survey, 2005) 

3.2.2 Facilities for Material Recovery 

In the survey, 96.8% 17 of the total NZ population 18 was assumed to have access through collection 

systems/facilities to recycle plastic PET and HDPE material for recovery; through kerbside collection 

systems, drop-off centre facilities, or through other means. Specifically, 55 out of the 74 councils 19 

were listed as having kerbside collection systems operating in their areas and 60 had drop-off centre 

facilities. 

As illustrated in Figure 17, the percentages of the total NZ population with access to recycle: 

• paper/cardboard 

• cans/tins 

• glass, and 

• HDPE (2) and PET (1) plastic (beverage bottles and containers) 

were relatively similar. 

17. With regards to data accuracy, all information was taken directly from survey responses, and did not undergo an extensive quality assurance 

process. It should also be noted that when calculating access to recycling services, it was assumed (for simplicity) that kerbside and drop-off 

systems were available district-wide, even when those services may not have been available in all parts of a district. 

18. The total population of NZ as of March 2005 was 4,060,810 (Source: MfE, 2005). 

19. At the time of the survey, there were 74 territorial authorities. 16 of which were city- and 58 were district councils (for more information visit: 

www.lgnz.co.nz). 


24

Figure 17: Percentage of the total NZ population with access to recycle material through kerbside collection and/or public drop-off 

systems in 2004 (Source: MfE Council Survey, 2005) 

The majority of councils collect PET (1) and HDPE (2) bottles only. Access to recycle all other 

recyclable plastic material was available for only 3.6% of the population (this option was most likely 

offered by community-based enterprises). Less than 2% of the population was able to drop off used 

EPS at collection centres. Therefore most of the EPS material collected was recovered from industrial 

sources. 

3.2.3 Parties Involved in the Recovery of Plastic Material 

As mentioned previously, both the pre-consumer and post-consumer industrial material was collected 

by commercial recyclers; whereas the post-consumer domestic material was mainly recovered by 

commercial recyclers through council contracts, publicly dropped-off at a collection centre or by 

community groups. 

Overall, there were over 38 recycling companies operating in 2004 20 , recovering plastic from a range 

of locations. These included manufacturing companies, supermarkets, homeware, furniture, 

appliance stores, and kerbside household collections. There was an increasing trend towards events 

recycling serviced by recycling companies and community groups. 

3.2.3.1 Operations of Commercial Recycling Companies 

Of those surveyed, most commercial recycling companies collected and sorted material before onselling 

it to other companies, who would then export the material overseas. 

As well as plastic, on average, 23% of recycling companies recovered glass, 23% collected 

aluminium, 20% - paper/cardboard, 17% - other metal and 17% - other material. ‘Other material’ 

comprised wood-waste, green-waste, oil, concrete, tyres, whiteware, batteries and car bodies. 

20. as well as a number of community groups – mainly voluntarily collecting plastic at public events and through community area clean-ups – 


Figure 18: Other material recovered by commercial recycling companies (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

Material was collected mainly in trucks, some with sorting facilities onboard. Most sorting is 

undertaken at the commercial recycling plant, where material gets hand-sorted, predominantly 

through visual inspection of material passing along conveyor belts 21 . Many plants accumulate and 

process onsite into an end market form such as baling HDPE milk bottles. The end-market product 

is then transported for NZ use, storage or export. Exported material is normally put into cargo 

containers for shipping to countries such as China, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

These countries are able to viably recover material by achieving economies of scale through importing 

material from around the world and using cheaper labour to process it 22 . 

3.2.4 Funding of Council Material Collection Schemes 

Of the 74 councils in 2004, around half of council recycling schemes were funded through ‘uniform 

annual charges’ (where a separate identifiable amount was included in the rate demand); about 30% 

through ‘rates’ (where there was not a separately identifiable fee in the rate demand); and about 15% 

through ‘user pays’ (where each collection was paid for directly by the user through a sticker or bag 

system). 

3.3 End Markets for Recovered Plastic 

3.3.1 Types of End Markets 

In NZ, recovered plastic material (referred to as ‘end-market material’) can be on-sold for use within 

NZ, or exported. 

The results from the Recycling Survey showed that in 2004 all of the PP material, 76% of the HDPE, 

and 59% of the PVC was sold in NZ. All of the EPS material, 99% of the PET, 65% of the PS and 

57% of the LDPE (incl. film) was exported. 

21. Other separation techniques carried out around the world include magnetic separation of ferrous materials, barcode detection, floatation of 

materials with different densities, gamma-ray, infrared, and other sorting methods 

22. Source: ‘Economics of Waste Management and Recycling in New Zealand’, a report prepared by the New Zealand Institute for Economic 

Research and Woodward Clyde (NZ) Ltd, July 1999 


26

Overall, 55% (18,620t) of recovered plastic material was exported. Of the total 33,854t, 45% (5,234t) 

was recovered and on-sold within NZ (this was material with identification codes to , 

excluding ‘Other’). 

Figure 19: Breakdown of end markets for recovered NZ plastic in 2004 (Source: PNZ Recycling Survey, 2005) 

3.3.2 International Export Markets 

Export was the predominant end market for recovered end-of-life plastic materials. Most of the 

exported material went to Asia. China had the largest market for recovered material for use in 

applications such as manufacturing textiles, video cassettes and toys. Another area of demand was 

for recovered PVC material to use in shoe manufacturing. 

Country 

China 

India 

Pakistan 

Malaysia 

Turkey 

Vietnam 

Common Desired Recovered Materials 

Table 4: Examples of countries that desire recovered materials 


3.3.3 Forms of End-Market Material 

The form of end-market recovered plastic material varied, depending on the national or international 

demand. 

The main plastic end-market material forms 23 were: 

• baled 

• flaked 

• granulated 

•ground 

• pelletised, or 

• in another form. 

Non-coloured plastic has a higher value and therefore is kept separate from coloured material. The 

reason for this is that it is too expensive and difficult to remove its colour, and cheaper/easier to add 

more; therefore more colour (mainly black pigment) is added to plastic when it is recycled. 

As a result, most exported material was separated into coloured and mixed coloured material before 

being baled. Types of bales were commonly categorized as PET soft drink bottles, HDPE milk bottles 

and HDPE janitorial grade. There was only one known commercial recycling company that washed 

recovered material before exporting. 

3.3.4 Prices for End-Market Material 

As of July 2005, prices for PET and HDPE end-market material 24 , (i.e. material purchased from 

commercial recycling companies for export,) were as follows: 

• baled non-coloured PET had an end market commercial price of $500-550/t 

• baled coloured PET was $350/t 

• flaked PET was sought for $550-600/t 

• HDPE baled milk bottles were priced at $400-450/t 

• pelletised HDPE was $600/t, and 

• janitorial-grade HDPE fetched $250/t. 

Prices for other materials such as LDPE and PVC were not specified. 


• The majority of plastic was recovered from post-consumer industrial, followed by post-consumer 

domestic, and pre-consumer industrial sources. 

• Most of the NZ population had access to recycling in 2004. 

• There are over 38 commercial recyclers operating in NZ. 

• 59 of the 74 councils funded recycling schemes in their regions in 2004 

• Recovered material was mainly exported (to Asia) due to limited onshore NZ recycling facilities and 

the availability of labour. 

• The majority of recovered material was baled in its original form and exported. 

• The end-market price for non-coloured plastic was greater than for coloured plastic; similarly the 

price for flaked and pelletised material was greater than for baled products. 

• More information is needed on the source and quantity of material not being recovered. 

23. Refer to Appendix 2.8 for definitions of the listed material forms 

24. Source: Undisclosed commercial recycler 


28

4. Alternative End-of-Life Options 25 

4.1 Introduction 

Recycling is the main end-of-life option for plastics in NZ other than land-filling; however there are a 

number of alternative reprocessing methods that may be better suited for material types or products. 

Alternative end-of-life options will depend on a variety of factors, including: the level of contamination 

involved, size of the product, transportation costs and the ability to recycle as a first priority. 

The main alternative plastic end-of-life options are: 

• composting of degradable plastics 

• energy recovery, and 

• storage. 

4.2 Composting Degradable Plastics 

4.2.1 Types of Degradable Plastics 

The word ‘degradable’ is defined as being: ‘a term given to natural and manmade substances that 

can be broken down by natural processes into smaller parts. 26 ’ 

The five main types of degradable plastic are: 

1. Biodegradable 

capable of being decomposed by biological agents such as bacteria 

2. Hydro-biodegradable 

can be decomposed by biological agents such as bacteria, when in contact with water 

3. Photo-degradable 

decompose by polymer chain links between molecules breaking down when exposed to 

ultraviolet (UV) radiation 

4. Bioerodable 

erode by abrasion from environmental conditions such as: rain, particles in the wind, UV 

attack and climate temperature changes 

5. Compostable 

become a mixture of decaying organic matter that can be used to improve soil structure and 

provide nutrients. 

4.2.2 Sources of Raw Materials for Degradable Plastics 

Raw materials to make degradable plastics can be: 

derived from natural renewable resources such as starch, or 

synthesized from non-renewable petrochemicals. 

4.2.3 Pros 

• Degradable plastics are innovative materials with good marketing potential. 

• They can be derived from renewable resources. 

• Some degradable plastics can be fed into composting end-of-life systems, having closed-loop 

lifecycles (i.e. for growing new raw materials). 

25. Alternative to land-filling 

26. Source: www.natureshift.org/Whawk/glossary.html 


4.2.4 Cons 

• The cost of deriving raw materials/processing and handling. 

• Most degradable plastics are organic, so to decompose, biodegradable and compostable plastics 

require the right environment. Lack of oxygen, nitrogen and in some cases sunlight, may cause 

serious odour and insect problems, and/or leach harmful chemicals. These types of repercussion 

suggest degradable materials are unsuitable for landfill disposal. 

• There is high risk of contamination of recyclable non-degradable plastics if product-handling is not 

controlled properly. 

• Currently there is no requirement for degradable plastic products in New Zealand to be labelled 

under a standard system (international standards exist: for example, the European Norm, EN 

13432:2000, defines four characteristics a material must display in order to be described as 

‘compostable’); or regulation for specifying the degree of degradability. Standards that are used 

are mainly ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials) standards for manufacturing degradable 

plastics. 

• The collection and sorting infrastructure is not in place throughout New Zealand. 

4.2.5 Measure of Degradability 

The most important factor concerning degradable plastic materials is the level of degradability they 

can reach over a specified time period. All plastics have the ability to degrade when put in the right 

environment. The variables that cause degradation include temperature, humidity, pressure and 

chemicals. Some plastics partially degrade, e.g. bio/hydro/photo-degradable materials, and break 

down into small fragments of plastic. Others, such as 100% compostable plastics, completely 

decompose. 

• Key questions to ask about the safety of plastics degradation are: 

• Where will the product be used/reside 

•Will there be any potential effects on the environment 

•Will hazardous chemicals be formed once the polymer chains in the molecular structure of the 

material break 

4.2.6 Developments in NZ 

Although still a small proportion of the market, there are currently a number of developments in the 

plastics industry involving the use of degradable materials. Large plastic-production companies such 

as Vertex-Pacific, Elldex and Huhtamaki are investigating innovative materials and are manufacturing 

degradable products. 

An example of an event that helped introduce compostable plastics products to the NZ public, was 

when Vertex manufactured water cups from PLA to be used for the Auckland Round the Bays annual 

‘fun run’ event in March 2005. They then worked with the Waitakere City Organic centre and Perry 

Environmental to compost the material. For more information, visit: 

http://www.plastics.org.nz/_attachments/round-the-bays-2005.doc. 

Alternative End-of- Life Options 

30

It is expected that the trend towards using compostable plastics will continue. The main issue is 

contamination between 3 streams: compostable, bio/hydro/photo-degradable, and non-degradable 

plastics in the recycling process. 

Scion 27 quoted: ‘The US Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) predicts at least 10% of basic chemical 

building blocks [in the plastic-making process] will be from plant derived renewable materials by 2020. 

This will increase to 50% by 2050’. 

Figure 20: Predicted biological material proportion from total plastic resources (Source: Brochure on Biotechnology, Scion, 2005) 

4.2.7 International Developments in Degradable Plastics 

There have been significant global developments in the degradable-plastics industry. It would be fair 

to say that all of the largest plastics industries in the leading countries have considered using 

degradable plastic materials. Companies such as Mitsubishi, DUPONT, Daicel, and Cargill Dow 

Polymers have all ventured into degradable-plastic projects. 

‘EnviroPlastic’, ‘Eco-ware’, ‘Eco-Foam’, ‘Bio-Ace’, and ‘Biopol’ are just a handful of brand names of 

degradable products that are currently on the market. 

One example in particular is a company called Mitsui Chemicals, who manufacture a product called 

‘Lacea’. This is derived from fermented starch from corn, beet, cane and tapioca. Lacea is similar to 

polyethylene in terms of processing ability. It is also said to have excellent mould resistance, (which is 

usually required for degradable materials.) The product also has a low combustion temperature like 

paper, and superior stability in processing to that of earlier polylactic-based materials. 

Another example is the largest toy manufacturer in the world, Mattel, who announced in 1999 that 

PVC would be replaced with plant-based plastics in new products from 2001 onwards. A range of 

other companies, including LEGO (a brand of toys), IKEA (a Swedish home furnishing retailer), Nike 

(a brand of sporting, clothing, school supplies and other products) and The BodyShop (a Britishbased 

international retailer of body, bath, skincare and make-up products) have made similar 

pledges 28 . 

27. Formerly known as the Forest Research Institute 

28. Source: http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Plastics.htm 


4.2.8 Viability of Composting Plastics 

The amount of compostable plastics, manufactured in NZ and imported, is predicted to significantly 

grow over the next few years. Currently these materials are at the early stages of being introduced to 

the national market, which is a perfect opportunity to put in place systems to collect and compost the 

plastics at the end of life. Developing standards and recommending procedures for the importation, 

manufacture, labelling, use, and end-of-life disposal options for these plastics will result in greater 

consistency in the application of the material, reduced contamination and less plastic going to landfill. 

It is vitally important to get these systems in place at this stage as these materials are being 

introduced into the market. 

4.3 Energy Recovery 

4.3.1 Developments in NZ 

There are no ‘official’ energy recovery programmes or schemes for plastics in place at this stage. 

However, some manufacturing companies are said to dispose of plastic via in-house incineration. 

Research is underway regarding the viability of establishing local and national energy recovery 

programmes. 

Canterbury University, for example, has commenced a PhD research project in the Chemistry and 

Process Engineering Department on fuel production (liquid and gaseous) from used plastics. The 

project was started in early 2005, and will be able to produce preliminary results by the end of the 

year; further results are intended to be produced by the end of 2006. Laboratory equipment has been 

built in the Chemical and Process Engineering department at the University, to conduct the pyrolysis 29 

tests. This project is being run in collaboration with a local company in Christchurch and was originally 

established with the Department of Chemical and Material Engineering at Auckland University. 

Other companies such as ‘Responsible Resource Recovery’ and ‘Responsible Recovery’ are 

investigating energy recovery options. Examples of this include incineration either totally or partially 

with other material such as coal; or the conversion of used plastic material to alternative liquid/gas 

fuel sources. The former of the two companies is investigating collection systems of agricultural 

plastic material that could potentially be used as high-volume material for energy recovery. 

4.3.2 Pros 

The advantage of energy recovery as an alternative end-of-life option to recycling is that it saves 

space in landfills, and can be used to generate power or alternative fuel sources – without using other 

non-renewable material (such as coal and virgin petrochemicals) for the same purpose. Energy can 

be derived from certain contaminated plastic materials. 

29. Pyrolysis is the decomposition or transformation of a compound caused by heat. 


32

4.3.3 Cons 

One of the main economic ‘cons’ is the capital cost in setting up energy recovery facilities; especially 

the process of running pilot plant trials and establishing facilities for the first time in a country. Again, 

like economies of scale, the more plants and availability of facilities/material, the more economically 

viable the capital investment can be. New Zealand is different to most other countries, for example in 

Europe, where there are integrated systems such as water-pipe heating networks that have the ability 

to utilise energy from recovery facilities. Also through legislation and regulations, countries like Japan 

have requirements that at least 20% of incinerated waste must be plastic. 

There is also speculation and concern over the introduction of energy recovery into NZ, due to the 

potential environmental affects on air, water and land. The combustion of plastics can release a 

number of substances into the surrounding atmosphere, including toxic substances such as dioxins. 

PVC is not recommended for combustion due to the proportion of chlorine it contains, which is highly 

corrosive and can form dioxins. The use of other materials such as ABS is also discouraged. The 

combination of constituents released upon combustion depends on the pressure and temperature at 

which the material is incinerated.. (International energy-recovery plant operations would need to be 

investigated thoroughly.) 

The other downside of energy recovery is the fact that it does not take advantage of the ‘recyclability’ 

of plastics because the material changes state. This means that the emphasis on ‘closing of the loop’ 

in the product life cycle by recycling is lost. However, energy recovery is considered to be a better 

outcome than disposal to landfill. Factors such as transportation issues over high-volume-to-weightratio 

material, locations of energy recovery plants, separation procedures, and the costs involved in 

collecting the material; could result in a net cost rather than a benefit. Methods of recovery have to 

be identified, in terms of whether or not they would be economically, environmentally and socially 

beneficial and feasible. 

4.3.4 Recovery Practices in Europe 

During 2003, 8.25 million tonnes 30 of plastic were recovered in Western Europe, 39% of the total 

amount consumed. A breakdown of this recovered material was as follows: 

• 4.1% of the material (338,250t) was recycled through feedstock in-house recycling during 

manufacturing 

• 4.9% was through material exported outside of Europe, (mainly to Asia) for mechanical recycling 

• 33.3% was mechanically recycled in Europe, and 

• overall, 57.7% (4,760,250t) was used for energy recovery, making it the most common end-of-life 

route for recovered plastics. 

Needless to say, recycling is still a strong and innovative industry, as well as a major contributor in 

reaching the EU recovery targets (see Figure 21). 

30. Source: PlasticsEurope, An analysis of plastics consumption and recovery in Europe, 2004 


Strict regulations have been set in place to ensure emissions from incinerators are controlled to 

comply with certain standards, ensuring greater control of potential environmental affects. 

Figure 21: Plastics recovery in Western Europe (Source: PlasticsEurope) 

4.3.5 Viability of Energy Recovery in NZ 

Energy recovery in the form of high-temperature incineration and pyrolysis are both possible end-oflife 

options for plastics in NZ, in addition to recycling. Energy recovery is less sensitive to 

contamination issues than recycling and could be a viable option for treating non-recyclables such as 

used plastic food packaging. However, thorough research and evaluation are recommended before 

introducing this end-of-life option on a commercial scale, as the capital cost of setting up and 

operating these plants needs to be economically viable and any potential detrimental effects on the 

environment from air/water/soil pollution need to be investigated. 

4.4 Storage 

If a direct end market is unavailable, or there is not enough material collected to sell, storage is a viable 

option. However, there needs to be some security that there will be: a use for the material; space 

available; and no potential environmental effects such as chemical leaching. 

At the moment, storage does occur, but normally on a small scale. Currently there is a balance 

between the collections made and supplying the end markets for the material. If large quantities of 

material are stored, there could be significant holding costs involved, as well as a requirement for 

resource consent. 


34

Land-filling is the dominant end-of-life option for plastics at the moment in NZ. In the future, our 

landfills may be mined for recyclable plastic material as the cost of plastic raw material increases, so 

land-filling would have to take place with this purpose in mind. 

However, as mentioned in the ‘measure of degradability’ section, polymers need to be stored in a way 

that ensures the recyclability or compostability of the polymer is maintained. If there is degradation of 

the polymer, it could affect the environment. Degraded or partially degraded polymers may not be able 

to be used. 


• Recycling is the preferred end-of-life option for plastics, followed by energy recovery for nonrecyclable 

materials (such as contaminated food packaging); and composting (for 100% 

degradable material) as a separate option. 

• There need to be systems in place to prevent contamination between plastic recycling and 

composting streams. Partially degradable plastics may need to be diverted to energy recovery 

facilities if/when they are established. 

• Degradable plastics are becoming increasingly common in NZ. Standardisation and labelling 

systems are required to assist communication and ensure degradables end up in the right end-oflife 

stream. 

• Commercial energy recovery facilities have not been developed in NZ as yet, (in contrast to 

Western Europe where 22% of plastic waste is used for energy recovery) but trial plants and 

studies at Universities have been conducted. It is possible that energy recovery will be operating 

commercially in the future following considerable research into environmental impacts and 

international best practice. 

• Some material types, such as PVC, are not suitable for energy recovery. 

• Storage is an intermediate stage between collection and reprocessing rather than an actual endof-life 

option. 


5. Factors Influencing Recovery 

5.1 The Drivers 

There are a number of key drivers for material recovery, such as: 

• public demand for recycling 

• the New Zealand Waste Strategy 

• the requirement for Waste Management Plans in the Local Government Act 2002 

• initiatives such as the Packaging Accord and associated targets, backed up by Government’s 

preparedness to consider regulation should these prove ineffective 

• multi-national companies operating in NZ being pushed to meet international recovery 

benchmarks 

•recovered material as a potential resource as raw material prices increase 

•procurement policies requiring recycled content in products 

• prices offered for recovered material, 

• the associated competition between commercial recyclers 

• lack of communication, and 

• increasing landfill charges, particularly for EPS. 

5.2 Lack of Information 

Discussions with manufacturers indicate that there is material available for recovery but data on this 

is not collected and collated. More specific detail is needed, identifying the sources and quantities of 

the various product types (such as a breakdown of quantities of plastic packaging by product type 

and typical disposal location). Schemes could then be arranged for commercial recyclers to collect 

the material from dispersed locations. 

5.3 Contamination 

5.3.1 Contamination at Source 

Recovery levels fall when the material is contaminated. Pre-consumer industrial material is less likely 

to be contaminated than post-consumer industrial and domestic material. Therefore the scrap/rejects 

available for recovery at the pre-consumer stage (small amounts from numerous dispersed 

manufacturing companies) will have a higher purity and, in turn, be more valuable to end-market 

customers. Post-consumer industrial material has a different source characteristic, in that there is 

more contamination involved, but a greater amount of material available 

5.3.2 Contamination from Products 

Collected non-recyclable materials incur landfill fees on disposal; therefore the sorting stage is 

extremely important, as it is usually the last chance to remove any contaminated material before the 

separated material is on-sold for reprocessing. 

Factors Influencing Recovery 

36

As visual inspection is the main type of sorting method in NZ, this stage relies on operators’ 

recognising recyclable material (usually by branded product type). Problems can arise when a new 

product is introduced to the market without information being given to the parties involved, such as 

the commercial recyclers. The problem also occurs when material types are changed when a product 

is redesigned. 

Figure 22: Example of a new product introduced to the market that looks similar to an existing version, but is made from a different 

plastic material type (Source: Recovered Materials Foundation, 2005) 

Recovered material is generally not used to remanufacture the same product. A prime example is food 

grade plastic products that are recycled into products that are not required to comply with stringent 

food safety regulations, such as horticultural plant pots. ’Down-cycling’ is the common term used to 

signify the downward spiral effect each time a product is recycled and remanufactured into a lower 

grade plastic product. 

5.4 Lack of Standardisation and Labelling 

Another form of contamination can occur when products, such as biscuit trays and ice cream 

containers, are made out of a variety of resin codes and/or the product is not labelled. In these 

situations the brand of the product is not obvious and the resin code cannot be seen by the hand 

sorters. When a variety of resin codes are used, the product is less likely to be collected at the 

kerbside. 

5.5 Facilities to Recover Material 

The ability to recover material is also dependent on the infrastructure available; where the facilities are 

located; and how they are run and funded. For industrial sources, transportation costs have a major 

influence on the material recovery and vary depending on the location of commercial recycling plants 

and where the material is sourced from. 


Commercial recyclers operating under local council contracts pick up a specified range of products 

from the kerbside. The range is determined by the funding available and the availability of end markets 

for that location. Currently PET and HDPE plastics with the identification codes 1 and 2 respectively 

are the most commonly collected material types recovered from domestic sources. The collected 

material types vary from region to region, depending on what collection systems (kerbside, drop-off 

centres, resource recovery parks, ‘out and about’ and events recycling) and recovery facilities are 

available. 

One opportunity to increase recovery is to collect larger quantities of currently collected material, such 

as larger products (e.g. plastic paint buckets), or more products of the same material type (e.g. PET 

rigid packaging). Another opportunity is to track when the local council contracts are due to finish 

within the next 1 to 5 years and work with councils and recycling contractors to widen the range of 

products collected. A further opportunity is to increase the facilities for ‘out and about’ and events 

recycling. All these opportunities have cost implications for councils, recyclers and producers. 

5.6 End Markets 

Commercial recycling requires viable end markets (national and international) which are a key 

influence on recovery. Price is another, and this depends on a number of factors, including the colour 

and form of the material. Improved information on future end-market trends is required. More 

transparent pricing information could positively influence recovery, and mechanisms such as a 

commodity trading index require further investigation. 

5.7 Communication and Education 

Communication is a key factor influencing recovery. All players in the plastics product life cycle need 

to be well informed about the products they can and cannot recycle and where and how they can 

recycle. As most of the population has access to at least one method of recycling plastic material, 

council-led education programmes are a vital link in encouraging and reminding the public to recycle. 

Already, vertical workgroups within companies and horizontal cross-sector groups between key 

parties have been established under the umbrella of the NZ Packaging Accord. These working groups 

provide an opportunity for those involved in the packaging life cycle to understand each others’ issues 

and constraints. As the relationships between the parties develop it is expected that there will be an 

increase in recovery and, in the longer term, changes in product design. 

Central-points of communication have been established already. Currently, Plastics NZ, the Packaging 

Council and the Recycling Operators of NZ (RONZ) are three organisations collecting and distributing 

information to the material-recovery industry, through websites, newsletters and magazines. These 

networks need to be supported and encouraged, so the general public, businesses and organisations 

continue to be informed. 

Effective communication requires reliable information about what, how much, and where material is 

available for recovery in NZ; and what the best end-of-life option is. 


38

5.8 Future Influences on Recovery 

5.8.1 More-efficient Resource Use 

Increasingly, businesses will use resources more efficiently and reduce the amount of plastic material 

used at the beginning of the product life cycle through clever design and light-weighting/downgauging 

products. This reduction will mean there will be less material to handle at the end-of-life 

stage, which will, in turn, be better for the environment. 

More efficient manufacturing practices to reduce scrap and rejects; and manufacturing only what is 

necessary will reduce the amount of pre-consumer industrial plastic material, which, now, is 12.7% 

of total plastic material recovered. 

5.8.2 Increasing Use of Degradable Materials 

The introduction of degradable plastics will impact on the recycling system. More information is 

needed on how to handle these materials at the end-of-life stage; because of the potential risk of 

contamination within the recycling process. As stated earlier in the report, the compostable 

degradable plastics will need to be treated separately from the bio/hydro/photo-degradables. 

Ultimately composting of totally degradable plastics is likely to become a viable option as more 

councils introduce kerbside collections of compostable material. Councils such as the North Shore, 

Waitakere, Ashburton, Selwyn and Christchurch are either commissioning plants or undertaking trials. 

It will require labelling, education and robust material-handling systems to deter degradable plastics 

from entering either the waste or conventional recycling stream. 

5.8.3 Evaluating Recycling Technologies 

Collection, sorting, handling and reprocessing techniques influence recovery, and new technologies 

may need to be introduced; such as sorting machinery, wash-lines and more baling equipment. An 

evaluation within the recycling sector of the current plastic recycling technologies and techniques is 

needed. Current practices may take place out of habit and convention. For example, exported 

compressed material has a higher bulk-density and therefore incurs greater shipping costs compared 

to chipped/flaked material. This may be more expensive to reprocess (with the labour and capital cost 

of setting up washing facilities) but could be more economic to ship, and more valuable as an endmarket 

product. 

5.8.4 Legislation 

The MfE Product Stewardship Discussion Document was released for comment in July 2005 and 

submissions were due in by 31 August 2005. The document proposed voluntary, mandatory and 

combined approaches to Product Stewardship (in that all parties involved throughout the life cycle of 

a product would share responsibility from product design, to use, recovery and disposal). 

The submissions on the discussion document will help to provide direction to central government as 

to whether a legislative approach is supported. It is unknown when the review of submissions will be 

available. The extent to which any product stewardship legislation/policy might impact upon end-oflife 

plastics options remains to be seen. 



Voluntary industry approaches, such as the Packaging Accord, are backed up by Government’s 

preparedness to consider regulation should these approaches prove ineffective. 

There is a lack of information about how much material is available, and where it is available from. 

Contamination can lower recovery levels, and usually incurs landfill disposal costs. 

There is a need for standardisation and labelling of plastic products. 

The cost of transportation is a major factor limiting recovery. 

Improved information on future end-market trends and material prices is needed; as well as evaluation 

of current recovery techniques. 

Communication between all parties in the life cycle of a product is vital for establishing recovery best 

practice. 

Future influences on recovery include more-efficient resource use from the design stage onwards in 

product development; the increasing use of degradable materials; and whether product stewardship 

legislation will be introduced. 


40

Conclusion 

Currently recycling is the most sustainable end-of-life option for plastics in NZ. The infrastructure and 

facilities for alternative processing options, such as energy recovery and composting (for 100% 

degradable plastics), have not been developed commercially, although they may provide alternative 

processing options for non-recyclable plastics in the future. 

It is important that if and when these alternative end-of-life options are developed, robust materialhandling 

procedures are in place to ensure the risk of contamination between recycling and 

composting streams is minimised; and whatever cannot be recycled or composted, is either landfilled 

or used for energy recovery. 

In the meantime, current initiatives such as the Packaging Accord promote the increase of recovery 

of material for recycling. To support the plastics sector target of recycling 23% of plastic packaging 

material (by weight as a percentage of consumption), information/data needs to be broken down 

further by product and plastic-material types. This data can be used by the joint working groups for 

beverage, rigid, flexible and expanded polystyrene packaging to prepare recovery action plans. 

Obtaining more accurate information on imported plastic packaging in total and by material type 

would greatly assist the work of these groups. 

While information is important, there is a need to take action in a number of related areas. Better 

communication between all parties involved in the life cycle of plastic products is the key to increasing 

recovery and reducing waste. In the short term, plastics recovery will be improved by working back 

from the end of the product life cycle, for example: by meeting recovery targets, improving collection 

procedures and encouraging product users to recycle. In the longer term, the focus will be on 

ensuring products are designed with end-of-life recovery in mind, and that more efficient 

manufacturing techniques and distribution systems are in place. In addition, improvements in the 

recovery infrastructure will be required. 

This report has highlighted the areas where Plastics New Zealand can take action, for example 

standardisation of products and labelling of resin types. In other areas, Plastics New Zealand needs 

to work with all parties involved in the product life cycle to find ways to collect improved information 

and increase the recovery of plastics. 

In order to increase recovery to achieve targets, and help develop sustainable end-of-life options for 

plastics in NZ; there are a number of recommendations to be actioned by Plastics New Zealand, the 

wider Plastics Industry and other parties. 


Recommendations 

R.1 Improve Information 

• Develop methods to collect more-accurate and thorough annual recycling data linking this back to 

the Mass Balance Data 

•Work with the Packaging Council sectors, the Recycling Operators of NZ, MfE and LGNZ (all 

parties to the NZ Packaging Accord) to improve information on imports by product and plastic 

material type using data collected from business sources (e.g. AC Nielsen and BIS Shrapnel) 

and/or Statistics NZ 

•Break down information by product and plastic-material type and use the information to set 

product/material-specific sub-targets for the specific cross-sector work groups to report against 

(e.g. beverage targets by tonnes or bottles for each year until 2008) 

• Disseminate, monitor and evaluate information and statistics regularly. 

R.2 Work with Plastics Industry to: 

• Investigate sources of industrial and post-consumer plastic material for recovery 

• Encourage manufacturing companies to increase their efficiency (for example, through Year 3 of 

the Best Practice Programme, which has a Design for the Environment focus); and recover 

material as close to source as possible (in most cases pre-consumer material is less 

contaminated, and therefore more desirable for reprocessing) 

•Target contamination issues of resins and products in the post consumer industrial phase. 

R.3 Plastics NZ to work on: 

• Standardisation and labelling within the plastics industry by: 

- encouraging members to use the resin code labels 

- encouraging members to use the same material types, additives and colours for specific 

products 

- introducing a labelling system so people can identify what products can be recycled in New 

Zealand 

- continuing to open communication channels between marketers/product developers and 

commercial recyclers, to ensure products being manufactured can be recovered at their end of life 

• Investigating international best practices for energy recovery 

• Investigating compostable and degradable plastics, and their best end-of-life options 

•Providing regular updates on future product and material trends e.g. PLA, and 

•Promoting Product Stewardship and Design for the Environment best practice. 

Recommendations 

42

R.4 Work with other parties to: 

• Develop communication channels between all parties involved in the life cycle of plastic products 

• Reach a national consensus on what can and cannot be collected in each area 

• Assess a simple national recyclability index and related labelling system for recyclable and 

degradable plastics 

• Liaise with councils as kerbside council contracts come up for renewal to try to increase the 

amount of material being recovered (e.g. more products, additional product types and products of 

larger weight) 

• Encourage brand owners and retailers to recycle plastics – especially high-volume packaging such 

as shrink and shroud wrap, expanded polystyrene packaging and bags 

• Develop/support ways to encourage the public to recycle more, for example through kerbside 

collections and when people are ‘out and about’ / at events 

• Evaluate current recovery techniques. 

R.5 Expand End Markets for plastics 

• Encourage commercial recyclers to find additional and alternative end markets to increase the 

variety of product and material types being recovered. 

• Encourage the use of recycled content in plastic products through proactive procurement policies 

within industry and central and local government and their agencies. 


Appendices 

Appendix 1: Supplementary Data Table 

Amount of Material Recovered [in Tonnes] for Each of the Main Material Types 

Year PET HDPE PVC LDPE PP PS EPS Other Total 

(Incl. Film) 

2000 4,772 5,736 2,180 6,569 574 978 0 5,893 26,702 

2001 4,982 6,639 2,600 8,956 485 166 1 3,307 27,136 

2002 5,919 7,445 2,652 11,095 1,266 343 1 1,469 30,190 

2003 6,664 7,540 2,449 10,687 1,246 343 101 3,210 32,240 

2004 8,016 8,932 2,412 12,444 1,415 417 218 1,588 35,442 

Total 30,353 36,292 12,293 49,751 4,986 2,247 321 15,467 151,710 

Table 5: Breakdown of amounts of recovered plastic material from 2000-2004 by material type 

Appendix 2: Glossary 

Appendix 2.1 End of Life 

The end of life is the final stage in the product life cycle where material has been used and disposed 

of. The material is then available for reprocessing, which will help close the life cycle loop. See Figure 1. 

Appendix 2.2 Waste 

‘Any material, solid, liquid or gas that is unwanted and/or unvalued, and discarded or discharged by 

its owner’ (Source: Ministry for the Environment, Product Stewardship and Water Efficiency Labelling 

Discussion Document, 2005) 

Appendix 2.3 Product Stewardship 

’Product Stewardship involves producers, importers, brand owners, retailers, and other parties 

involved in the life cycle of products accepting responsibility for the environmental impacts of the 

products throughout their life cycle.’ (Source: Ministry for the Environment, Product Stewardship and 

Water Efficiency Labelling Discussion Document, 2005) 

Appendix 2.4 Recyclable and Recoverable 

These terms have been used interchangeably throughout the report. More specifically, ‘recyclable’ 

refers to collected material that is able to be recycled, and ‘recoverable’ means material that is able 

to be recovered for recycling or any alternative end-of-life processing. 

Appendix 2.5 Free-riders 

’“Free-riders” are non-participants who seek to benefit while not complying with the mechanisms or 

contributing to the costs [associated with the handling of materials at end of life].’ (Source: Ministry for 

the Environment, Product Stewardship and Water Efficiency Labelling Discussion Document, 2005) 

Appendices 

44

Appendix 2.6 Material Types 

Material Type Plastic Full Polymer Examples of Common 

Acronym Identification Code Name(s) Products 

Polyethylene 

Soft-drink and water bottles, 

PET Terephthalate food packaging such as salad 

domes and biscuit trays 

High Density 

Milk bottles, ice-cream 

HDPE Polyethylene containers, detergent 

bottles, and shopping bags 

Polyvinyl Chloride Cosmetic containers, pipes, 

PVC Unplasticised: PVC-U films, wire coatings, and 

Plasticised: PVC-P 

garden hoses 

Low Density 

Film for protection of pallets 

LDPE Polyethylene during transportation, 

squeezable bottles, 

rubbish bags, plastic food wrap 

PP 

PS 

EPS 

Polypropylene 

Polystyrene 

Expanded Polystyrene 

Lunch boxes, microwave 

containers, straws, packaging 

film, and dairy food containers 

Plastic cutlery, CD cases, 

stationery parts, toy parts and 

plastic ‘glassware’ 

Protective packaging for 

fragile goods, insulation, 

clamshell food take-away 

containers and cups 

Acronyms normally Car parts, appliance parts, 

specified underneath the computers, electronics, 

Other Identified code e.g. ABS water cooler bottles, 

(Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and other packaging 

or SAN (Santoprene) 

Table 6: Definitions of plastic material types adapted from the Plastics Identification Code 

Appendix 2.7 Sources of End-of-Life Plastics 

a) Pre-consumer industrial: from plastic product manufacturers 31 

b) Post-consumer industrial: industries who modify/fill the plastic product 

c) Post-consumer domestic: products which have been used by customers 

Figure 23: Main sources of end-of-life plastics –- using plastic beverage bottles as an example 

31. Material recycled in-house during the initial product manufacturing stage is unaccounted for as a source material which contributes to the 

23% recycling target 


Appendix 2.8 Forms of Plastic End-Market Product 

Form 

Baled 

Flaked 

Granulated 

Ground 

Pelletized 

Description 

Loose plastics compressed into a cube or rectangular shape, and strapped together 

Roughly chipped/shredded material formed into reasonably similar-sized flat pieces 

Material formed into grains or granules by continuing the flaking process until each 

particle has almost the same length as breadth 

Recovered plastic material that has been granulated until particles are in powder-form 

Material that has been re-melted and formed into pellets of similar size 

Table 7: Descriptions of different plastic end market product forms 

Appendix 2.9 Imports and Exports 

Method 

Indirect Imports/Exports 

Direct Imports/Exports 

Description 

Plastic that is incorporated with other materials on 

importation/exportation, for example: packaging around food and 

electrical goods 

Material that is imported/exported ready for use such as: packaging 

containers for the insertion of food product 

Table 8: Methods of Importing/Exporting 

Appendix 3: Website Links and Contact Details 

Appendix 3.1 Website Links 

• www.plastics.org.nz (Plastics New Zealand Inc. general website) 

• www.plasticsnz.com (Plastics New Zealand Inc. trade index) 

• www.ronz.org.nz (Recycling Operators of New Zealand) 

• www.mfe.govt.nz (Ministry for the Environment) 

• www.lgnz.co.nz (Local Government New Zealand with links to all city/district council websites) 

• www.packaging.org.nz (Packaging Council of New Zealand) 

Appendices 

46

Plastics New Zealand 

Level 1, 627 Great South Road 

(Westpac Building) 

PO Box 76 378 

Manukau City 

Auckland 

New Zealand 

Ph: +64 9 262 3773 ext 103 

Fax: +64 9 262 3850 

Email: info@plastics.org.nz 

Websites: www.plastics.org.nz (information) 

www.plasticsnz.com (trade) 

Key Contacts 

Robin Martin 

Chief Executive Officer 

+64 9 262 3773 ext 102 

robin@plastics.org.nz 

Ket Bradshaw 

Environmental Manager 

021 369 495 

ket@plastics.org.nz 

Nikki Withington 

Environmental Officer 

+64 9 262 3773 ext 103 

nikki@plastics.org.nz 

Debbie Fielder 

National Office Administrator 

+64 9 262 3773 ext 101 

info@plastics.org.nz 

Dr Shashi Vohora 

Best Practice Facilitator 

03 466 7680 

shashi@plastics.org.nz 

Brian Wemyss 

PIPA Executive Officer 

+64 9 262 3773 ext 114 

brian@plastics.org.nz

Sustainable End-of-Life Options for Plastics in New Zealand

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