Rachel Boyack for Nelson Soft recycling bins are back

JO KENT

It’s been five years since locals in the region have been able to recycle their soft plastics, but with eight new collection points across Richmond, Nelson and Motueka, that’s all changed.

Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes says with Future Post’s new processing plant in Blenheim, transporting the bales has put Nelson Tasman back on the recycling map.

This week marks the oneyear anniversary of the 2022 Nelson floods, which caused devastating damage to individual properties and critical local infrastructure

As a community, we continue to support those households who are unable to return to their homes As your local MP, I have worked to ensure that Nelson will be included in the Government’s $6 billion National Resilience Plan, which has been designed to help communities build back better after severe weather events

I ask our community to continue supporting those families who still can’t return to their homes, and for whom the one-year anniversary brings up difficult memories

The cost of living continues to be the biggest issue facing New Zealanders, and Chris Hipkins announced further policy to address this on Sunday A re-elected Labour Government will remove GST from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables in April 2024 and will make the biggest increase to Working for Families of $25 per week Labour will continue to support those most affected by the cost of living

“We launched the recycling scheme in 2015 but had to stop it in December 2018 when offshore plants processing New Zealand’s plastic no longer wanted it.” That’s when the scheme started a supply agreement with Future Post, who make fence posts from soft plastic.

“They were just setting up production in Auckland, so we resumed collections on a limited basis in Auckland in mid-2019 but, sadly, not from the Top of the South as the logistics of transporting the soft plastics back to Auckland were too difficult.”

The recycling scheme takes bread bags, frozen food bags, toilet paper packaging, confectionery and biscuit wrap, chip bags, pasta and rice bags, courier envelopes, shopping bags, and sanitary hygiene packaging - basically anything made of plastic which can be scrunched into a ball.

The scheme collected 500 tonnes of plastic last year, which is around double what was collected in 2021 (260 tonnes). This year, they expect to double the volume again to 1000 tonnes of soft plastic.

Future Post managing director Jerome Wenzlick says the company has built their own machinery and figured out how to use all the different types of waste plastic that no one else can use.

“Our fence posts need to be the same or better than wood, which is what we’re up against.”

He says each fence post uses around 8000 pieces of soft plastic. The company has strong demand for its products, particularly from wineries in the Top of the South.

“We can actually show that plastic straight off the vineyard is made into a post and goes back to the vineyardyou can’t get much more circular than that.”

Future Post general manager, Hassan Wong, says one of their core goals is to be a “local solution to a local problem”.

“While that applies nationally in the sense that we don’t believe New Zealand should be exporting its plastic waste offshore, the thinking also applies regionally.”

Soft plastics can now be dropped at The Warehouse in Nelson, Richmond and Motueka, Countdown Nelson, Richmond and Motueka, along with New World in Stoke and Motueka.

Enviro NZ will then go around the stores and collect it in their new EV ute.

“From there, it will be baled up and transported over the hill to the Future Post plant,” says Jacob Stapleton, Enviro NZ’s Upper South Island

Regional Manager.

“We know people really want to do the right thing and recycle as much as they can, so it’s fantastic to be part of a local solution through the scheme that will make it easier to keep valuable resources in circulation.”

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith welcomed the reintroduction of the scheme in Nelson.

“I want to encourage Nelsonians to back this recycling scheme by collecting their soft plastics at home and then depositing them at one of the collection points.

“The key to successful recycling is businesses such as Countdown, Foodstuffs and The Warehouse stepping up to make it convenient for consumers, and innovators finding uses for the recycled product.”

Locals roll up sleeves for July blood drive

A total of 232 blood donors from around the region rolled up their sleeves for the Nelson mobile blood drive last month with booking slots snapped up six weeks in advance. The three-day mobile blood drive was held at Trafalgar Park from 18 - 20 July. A total of 256 people came along to donate, however 25 of those couldn’t give blood. There were 35 brand new donors. Acting Team Leader Donor Relations Southern, Atawhai Te Hau, says over the three days, they aim to have the appointment schedules fully booked. “We can book a maximum of 285 people for the three days, with a ‘target’ of 215 units. We are fortunate to have many keen donors in Nelson and the appointment schedule filled up six weeks in advance.”

Atawhai says they received feedback from people in the region who were wanting to book in, but the appointment schedule was full. “We are definitely aware that there were more people wanting to book. We are very grateful for the amazing support from the Nelson people.”