Over the past 15 years, a Christchurch-based recycling company has saved more than 450,000 tonnes of glass from going to landfill. 5R Solutions has been recovering, processing and recycling glass for 15 years this September.
“It’s something I am incredibly proud of — giving this very precious resource a new lease on life,” 5R managing director Chris Grant says.
“Fifteen years ago I would never have dreamed I’d be here today celebrating such a significant milestone. Together, as a team, we’ve managed to keep the equivalent of 72 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of glass in circulation.”
In 2009, Grant was made redundant. With no money and four young children, he had to call on family to pay two months of his rent. As part of Grant’s previous job, he managed a waste education team that provided outside-the-classroom learning experiences on waste.
One of the principles of the education piece was to deliver an understanding of the 5Rs of the waste hierarchy — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Residual.
Grant has successfully established a nationwide network that has diverted thousands of tonnes of flat glass from landfills by processing it so it can be used again. Glass is the only material for mass consumption that is capable of being recycled infinitely without losing any of its properties.
“There is no need for glass to go to landfill. We are continually exploring new ways to turn collected glass into high-value goods,” Grant says.
5R works with industry partners to divert about 70% of New Zealand’s flat glass from landfill, processing it into crushed glass which is used again in things such as Pink Batts, new glass bottles, wastewater treatment systems and pool filters.
“Thanks to our work with the industry, about 85% of car windscreens are now diverted from landfill and reused for things like filtration systems, insulation and sand blasting,” he says.
The disposal of windscreens was traditionally a problem for the auto glass industry, NOVUS glass co-owner Mike James says. His company has been a supplier of glass to 5R since 2010.
“Disposing of windscreens in landfills is not only expensive but also wasteful. Before 5R came along, all damaged windscreens were just sent off to landfills around the country, where they are estimated to take a million years to breakdown,” James says.
“For nearly 15 years we have worked closely with 5R to divert thousands of tonnes of windscreens from landfill to recycling. Chris has established an entire network that makes doing the right thing easy. Sending our glass to 5R is a no-brainer.”
Once the glass is processed at one of the two facilities in Auckland and Christchurch, it is then sold to companies manufacturing a wide variety of items, including pool filters, new bottles, and insulation.
New Zealand company Comfortech uses glass supplied by 5R to manufacture Pink Batt, which Comfortech general manager Anthony Stone says is made up of more than 80% recycled glass.
“We value our relationship with 5R, align with their focus on delivering environmental benefits, and appreciate receiving a reliable supply of recycled glass which means we’re able to produce enough Pink Batts to supply our customers throughout New Zealand,” Stone says.
Other key partnerships formed over the years include:
• working with Transpower on an innovative approach to recycle 100% of their end-of-use glass insulators
• working with Effluent Management Systems to reduce nitrate run-off on dairy farms,
• partnering with Auckland Council to divert flat glass from 400 demolished homes at Muriwai, and
• working with construction titans such as Naylor Love to improve their environmental footprint.
The Kiwi company has also opened export markets, including in Australia, for pool infiltration systems, and in Malaysia.
There are no plans to slow down either, Grant says, with plans for a new processing plant in the pipeline, and work with global leaders to establish a way to recover the plastic inside of windscreens and turn it into high value products.
5R works with commercial partners only — they cannot accept glass from residential homes.
