Waikato Farming Lifestyles

New life for
old police jerseys
Police are supporting a repurposing initiative with a New
Zealand-owned woollen mill to turn old jerseys into unspun fibre
and then into blankets for official police use only.
The blankets are initially due to
be trialled with Wellington’s maritime
policing unit and in patrol cars.
The current uniform policy states
that all obsolete or faulty items of
police uniform must be returned to be
destroyed and disposed of at a landfill.
Since June 2019, 17 tonnes of uniform
items have been returned for disposal
in this way.
“Working in partnership with other
groups to explore ways to achieve
broader positive outcomes is important
to us, be they environmental, social,
economic or cultural,” said manager
procurement and contract management
Ged Callaghan.
“We’re hoping that this initiative
to recycle what would have been
destroyed and sent to landfill can be
a springboard into other recycling or
repurposing initiatives.”
In July 2020, a call went out for old
jerseys that could be used for the first
test run. Procurement worked with
Response and Operations Group (R&O)
to ensure this went smoothly.
Staff answered the call, and 145
old jerseys were returned to Lockheed
Martin, who manage police uniform
supplies. The jerseys were sent on to a
team at The Information Management
Group (TIMG), who manage police secure
document blue bins. They removed and
destroyed the police coat of arms and
anything else on the jerseys that was
not wool.
These leftover jersey pieces were
then sent to Woolyarns, a 74-year-old
Lower Hutt- based mill that’s usually in
the business of turning natural fibres
like wool and possum fur into yarn.
“This is certainly a different project
for us, and we’re literally breaking down
the jerseys and turning them back into
woollen fibre that can be repurposed
into a new product,” said Woolyarns
general manager Andy May.
Old police jerseys are being repurposed and
turned into blankets for official police use
“The test run was a success, and we
have proved police jerseys can become
yarn once again.”
In collaboration with police R&O
Group, a prototype hand-knitted beanie
was initially produced, and consideration
was then given to other types of woollen
products before deciding on a blanket.
Staff at Police National Headquarters
were canvassed for a name for the
blanket. The winner was Ahurutanga,
meaning warmth, comfort and security.
Staff are encouraged to hand their old
jerseys in to be recycled.
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WAIKATO FarMING LIFESTYLES March 2021 11
Inflammation
Is your body hot, cold or lukewarm? I am not talking about
your actual body temperature but the degree to which
unwanted inflammation is affecting your body.
Some inflammation we can feel and
see. There is also silent inflammation
that has no symptoms but can
cause disease.
Inflammation is an amazing part of
our body’s healing systems. It is an
essential part of how we fight infections
and heal against damage caused
by injuries. It is always associated
with fighting infection. Without
infl ammation, our fi rst infection or
injury would have probably ended
our lives. The signs of infl ammation
are heat, swelling, redness and pain,
including loss of function.
Inflammation is a process where our
immune (white blood) cells produce
a wide range of chemicals that
coordinate the process of removing
the cause of the problem and then
clean up the mess to complete the
healing process. These processes
are incredibly complex and involve a
wide range of cell types and a variety
of messenger compounds. Many
infl ammatory problems are caused
by overactive messengers triggering
unwanted inflammation.
The infl ammatory process is like
your kitchen tap. When working well,
you get cold water when you turn the
cold tap and hot water when the hot
is on. Unwanted inflammation is like
turning the cold tap and getting warm
or even hot water instead.
A common cause of unwanted
inflammation is when our body tries
to repair a problem that it cannot
fix. That is typical of osteoarthritis.
The problem is caused by cartilage
erosion. However, most of the pain
is caused by immune cells inflaming
joint tissue in an attempt to repair it.
All this does is cause unnecessary
pain, swelling and loss of function.
If you are affected by arthritis
or any infl ammation, I recommend
following an anti-infl ammatory diet
with supplements that can help reduce
unwanted inflammation.
Feel free to contact me if you
have questions.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.
Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine
practitioner and founder of Abundant
Health Ltd. For personalized advice,
contact John on 0800 423 559 or
email john@abundant.co.nz. Join his
full weekly newsletter at abundant.
co.nz.
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