Four million plastic bottles a year to be recycled into plastic pipes
Auckland, 26 February 2019:
Local company Iplex Pipelines has successfully used recycled plastic bottles to make drainage pipes at its Palmerston
North manufacturing site – with the potential to use more than four million plastic bottles per year.
The innovative initiative comes at a time when the impact of China limiting plastic imports is starting to be felt
within the recycling industry.
Iplex Palmerston North Manufacturing Manager Vaughn Bedser says, “Iplex had been looking for ways to integrate recycled
material into its manufacturing and decided to look into recycled polyethylene after one of our people spoke with local
supplier Aotearoa NZ Made.”
Aotearoa NZ Made (previously Budget Plastics) is a major recycler of milk, cleaning and cosmetic product bottles, and
currently the only plastic recycler and manufacturer in the lower North Island. Like drainage pipes, these bottles are
made from polyethylene (PE) plastic.
The two local companies made a deal – Iplex would commit to purchase 25 tonnes per month of the recycled PE and work out
how to incorporate it into its product line, if supply could be sustained.
In a three month trial, Iplex carefully worked out how to combine the PE into one of its bestselling products – a land
drainage pipe commonly used on farms – without compromising the durability or strength of the product.
“Our trial using recycled plastic was a huge success. Our technician determined how to carefully combine the right
amount of recycled PE into the line without any impact on pipe quality.
“We will be continuing to use recycled plastic for the foreseeable future. Through using at least 25 tonnes of recycled
PE each month, it will reduce the production of new plastic, and recycle more than four million plastic bottles in the
space of a year.
“We’re really pleased our initiative can make a difference to the growing problem of plastic waste in New Zealand,” says
Vaughn.
Iplex has a zero plastic waste product to landfill process and is looking at other ways to use recycled material in its
operations.
#Ends