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

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.
Alternative End-of- Life Options
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