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The increasing need for sustainable outcomes requires councils to invest in recycling infrastructure. Well sorted and stored recyclables increases recovery rates. However storage must be adaptable and agile - to change with the ever-changing consumption habits of the local population.
Interbloc's CarbonSmart® blocks are used nationwide by the refuse and recycling sector because it it delivers strong, durable, safe storage that can be reconfigured and reused over and over again. It's also a benefit that Interbloc blocks are made from upcycled materials as well.
New Zealanders dispose of around 15 million tonnes of waste per year. This waste comes from a variety of sources, including:
This equals around 3.2 tonnes of waste per person per year, of which only 35% is recovered.
From a global perspective, New Zealand is far behind other OECD countries in terms of municipal solid waste. Where New Zealand recovers 35%, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are 55% and Germany is over 66%. Per capita, we’re also trailing behind other OECD countries. In 2018, it was measured that Columbia, Japan, and Mexico had the least municipal waste going to landfill per capita at approx. 300kg. New Zealand on the other hand was over 700kgs. (New Zealand Infrastructure Commission).
These statistics provide insights to where we can improve New Zealand’s resource recovery.
There are multiple policies, and forums at play aiming to improve New Zealand’s resource recovery. Most relevant to resource recovery are the Waste Management Act 2008 and the Glass Packaging Forum.
This Act encourages the reduction of the amount of waste generated and disposed of in New Zealand. The Act requires councils to develop a Waste Minimisation and Management Plan every 6 years, accredit voluntary product stewardship schemes, and impose levies on waste disposals on landfills.
Established in 2006, Glass Packaging Forum (GPF) also promotes the environmental benefits of glass packaging and manages the accredited GPF Product Stewardship Scheme. There are more than 100 member brands that pay levies to the forum related to the volume of glass they put into the New Zealand marketplace.
Resource recovery infrastructure is used to extract value from materials at the end of their useful life. The infrastructure requires the collection, disaggregation into separate waste types, processing, and extraction of other resources. This approach follows the circular economy.
The circular economy uses resources with ever-increasing efficiency. It aims to make sure everything we create can be used for as long as possible and then be recycled/upcycled. This process ensures we can unmake everything we make.
With the continuous push to a circular economy from the government, resource recovery needs to be adaptive in the event that a waste stream no longer needs to be recovered. An element that is important in this is the flexibility of design.
To meet the needs of the private and public sectors, a resource recovery solution needs to be adaptable, quick to install, and sustainable. Interbloc is the ideal solution for both sectors.
Interbloc is a precast concrete wall system, that has an innovative concrete block at its core. The system delivers an unbeatable combination of benefits - they’re fast to install, they’re flexible and can be reconfigured with ease, they’re durable, fully engineered, and carry a market-leading buyback guarantee.
(A standard 1200 Interbloc concrete block)
The buyback guarantee is perfectly suited to resource recovery. With one of New Zealand’s sustainability goals being to reduce waste streams, there is the potential for less resource recovery as resources are better utilises. By using Interbloc’s buyback guarantee, you call sell your blocks back to us if you need fewer/smaller bins.
Interbloc has worked alongside many resource recovery organizations. Some of these include Green Gorilla, Envirowaste, Waste Management, Smart Environmental, and the Manawatu District Council. Here’s how we have helped these companies build faster, stronger, and safer with resource recovery structures:
Interbloc has been featured in a few of the CID/ Green Gorilla locations including Onehunga, Drury, and the Auckland CBD. Solutions varied from bins, weighbridge barriers, and retaining walls to extra blocks to increase capacity.
To see Green Gorilla’s process, watch the video below. If you have a look at some of the shots, you’ll be able to see Interbloc solutions at work.
Interbloc Glass Bunkers and Landscape/Aggregate Supply Bins played a key part in solutions for Envirowaste Resource Recovery.
Create an adaptive resource recovery solution by choosing Interbloc.
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