Waste efforts win award

18 April 2005

Waste efforts win award

A three-month-old partnership between Fonterra, paper and cardboard recyclers Fullcircle, and waste services company EnviroWaste which has seen Fonterra’s Clandeboye site cut the amount of waste it sends to landfill by seventy percent is the winner of the first Zero Waste National Partnership Award, presented at the recent International Zero Waste Conference held in Kaikoura.

EnviroWaste’s Timaru branch manager Peter Martin says the project illustrates just how much can be achieved when manufacturers and waste service providers work together with a common focus on waste minimisation.

Fonterra Clandeboye Process Projects Manager Rob McCoid said Fonterra’s Eco-Efficiency programme placed considerable emphasis on waste minimisation across the company’s entire operation, hence Fonterra’s partnership with Fullcircle. A Carter Holt Harvey business, Fullcircle provides recycling services, with a particular focus on cardboard recovery.

Part way through last year, Fonterra Clandeboye called for proposals from waste service providers that focused on waste minimisation and in November began trialling an EnviroWaste recycling programme. Results were so good, that in January this year the two companies formalised the partnership.

Mr McCoid says a lot of the programme’s success is due to the three partners communicating effectively and sharing knowledge and information.

“Knowing where waste comes from is the key to reducing the amount of waste created. Working closely with EnviroWaste has given us access to that information. Once people are aware of the recoverable waste they are chucking out, they can start really thinking of ways to reduce the amount of waste created in their part of the business,” he says.

“While it’s still early days, having the three companies working together towards the one goal has already produced some great results, and given us a solid base for further improvement.”

Zero Waste CEO Jo Knight says the awards were a chance to recognise those companies and individuals who were taking up the challenge to maximise recycling and minimise residual waste. Initiatives such as the one at Clandeboye were producing amazing results, and boded well for further successes in the future. -

ENDS

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