By Fonterra’s director for Category, Strategy & Innovation, Mark Piper
More plastic is being recycled in Auckland after Fonterra partnered with Auckland Council, Visy and Astron to get new technology installed at a local recycling facility.
The new optical sorters use light and near-infrared technology to read the reflective signal from plastic bottles as they pass by to identify the exact grade of plastic they’re made of. It’s an important advancement because it means 99 % of the 7,700 tonnes of recyclable plastic processed at the site each year can now be correctly identified, sorted and recycled.
It also means that plastic can be recycled here in New Zealand, instead of sending it overseas or to landfill.
It’s another step towards Fonterra’s target of having 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025 and sending zero waste to landfill from our manufacturing sites by 2025.
It follows on from our introduction of New Zealand’s first plant-based bottle, for our Anchor Blue 2L bottle, in October.
Ultimately, we want to play our part in achieving the concept of zero waste by moving towards a circular economy. According to the World Bank, the world generates around 3.5 million tonnes of plastic and other solid waste every day. This is 10 times the amount from a century ago and it’ll take a collaborative effort to turn it around.
Fonterra’s partnership to get the new optical sorters installed is a great example of what can be achieved when Kiwi businesses, government and councils work together to reduce waste.
Mark Piper is Fonterra’s director for Category, Strategy & Innovation and has been with the Co-operative for more than 20 years in different parts of the business. He leads Fonterra’s Palmerston North-based Research and Development Centre (FRDC) – home to more than 350 researchers, engineers, nutritionists and scientists from 46 different countries, with more 4,500 years of combined dairy experience.
