Skip to main content.

List of WMF Dec 2009 approved projects

Adding value to problem organic waste using pyrolysis - a case study in the Waikato

Applicant:  Environment Waikato
Region: Waikato
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $159,000
                                                     
This study will investigate the use of pyrolysis (heating in the absence of air) to process organic waste in the Waikato region. Currently around 107,000 tonnes per year of commercial organic waste is landfilled in the Waikato. The study will test the pyrolysis process and research the commercial demand for the products produced – biochar and energy.

Amnesty to facilitate final PCB Disposal

Applicant: Transpacific Technical Services (NZ) Limited
Region: NZ Nation Wide
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $182,065

PCBs in old electrical equipment and light fittings are an internationally identified hazardous waste. Funding from the waste minimisation fund will help raise awareness of this waste issue, create an amnesty on these items and provide collection points for their disposal. It will help New Zealand achieve the elimination of this hazardous waste from our environment and compliance with one of New Zealand's environmental goals as a party to the Stockholm Convention.

Antifreeze recycling service

Applicant: Beta Antifreeze Limited
Region: Otago
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $180,000

Automotive coolant and contaminated glycol will be collected and recycled at a facility that is to be developed in Dunedin. The service will not only recycle used coolant but dispose of the recovered glycol by selling it back into the market place.

Auckland Region Household used oil recovery scheme

Applicant: Auckland Council
Region: Auckland
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $50,000
                                                     
Through this scheme householders in the Auckland region will be able to access free, convenient and safe disposal facilities for their used petroleum-based oils (motor oil). The collected oil will disposed of in a manner which meets a high environmental standard. If successful, the pilot scheme could be rolled out nationwide.       

Bay of Plenty vermicomposting trial

Applicant: Environment Bay of Plenty
Region: Bay of Plenty
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $100,000

The project expands a pilot project that combines organic waste with biosolids, in a vermi-composting process, to produce a soil amendment product. This project will test the process for a wider range of organic wastes and assess the quality of the final product.

Demystifying packaging choices

Applicant:  Upper Clutha Recycling and Environmental Society Inc
Region: Wanaka/NZ Nation Wide
Project Type: Education and Awareness
WMF contribution: $79,270

Large volumes of packaging are discarded each year and every New Zealander is involved in this process. This project aims to raise awareness about sustainable packaging amongst businesses and the general public. The programme will provide New Zealanders with practical solutions and information on how to choose sustainable packaging and reduce waste.

eDay 2010

Applicant: 2020 Communications Trust
Region: NZ Nation Wide
Project Type: Education and Awareness
WMF contribution: $750,000

eDay 2010 will provide an opportunity for New Zealanders to dispose of their electronic and computer waste at convenient drop-off points. This year's e-Day will see an expansion of the number of regions participating in e-Day.

Enviroschools

Applicant: Enviroschools
Region: Nationwide
Project Type: Programme Expansion
WMF contribution: $420,815

This is a 3-year project operating within the well-established, and growing, nationwide Enviroschools Programme.  The project will implement the Enviroschools approach in the early childhood sector, establishing an active network of centres with a focus on waste minimisation practices.

E-waste recovery from a nationwide network of collection points. Catering for household consumers, schools and small businesses.

Applicant:  RCN and Associates Limited
Region: NZ Nationwide
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $400,000
                                                       
RCN, in partnership with the Community Recycling Network will work with landfill operators, recycling centres and town councils to collect e-waste from household consumers and small businesses. The e-waste will be collected and recycled by the RCN partner plant in Auckland (CRT monitors and TVs), and when established, facilities in Wellington and Christchurch. Waste that cannot be recycled in this manner will be sent, under Ministry of Economic Development issued permits, to an international recycling plant in Singapore. The project will provide a professional, sustainable, convenient and cost-effective solution for e-waste recycling, diverting this waste from landfill.

Expansion of Paper4Trees scheme to further North Island schools

Applicant: Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust
Region: North Island
Project Type: Education and Awareness
WMF contribution: $179,220

Paper 4Trees gives trees to schools in exchange for collecting their waste paper. Funding from the Waste Minimisation Fund will be used to expand the Paper4Trees project in North Island Schools and Pre Schools. The project hopes to get 50% of the remaining North Island schools and the equivalent number of Pre Schools to join the Paper4trees programme.

Feasibility of wood dust and plastic recovery for moulded decking product

Applicant: Konzept Business Solutions Limited
Region: NZ Nation Wide
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $58,000

This feasibility study will look at the recovery of wood dust and plastic (HDPE) waste for production into Wood Plastic Composite (WPC).  Internationally WPC is used to make a number of products including moulded decking.  The study will look at what potential there is for this industry in New Zealand.

Glass Reduction Study

Applicant: Westland District Council
Region: West Coast
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $30,000

Westland District Council is partnering with Scenic Circle Hotel Limited and South Westland Rubbish Removal to identify a more sustainable option for the collected glass considering the environmental, social, economic and logistical issues. This feasibility study aims to identify potential end uses for the collected glass and develop a business plan for the preferred solution that can be submitted for future WMF rounds. The project also aims to address the lack of knowledge regarding glass volumes in South Westland.

‘Hard to Recycle’ HDPE wash and recycle plant

Applicant: Auckland Drum Sustainability Services Limited
Region: Auckland
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $198,500                                                    

Making use of Auckland Drum’s existing collection infrastructure, this project will commission a new plastics recycling and washing plant to convert ‘hard to recycle’ HDPE plastic scrap (number 2 plastics) into material reusable within New Zealand.  The plastics recycled will include a mix of post consumer and post industrial plastic scrap ranging from 5 to 1000 litre plastic containers which have contained substances such as paint, oil, resins and industrial chemicals. The washed and processed material will be supplied to the New Zealand plastic packaging industry as a direct substitute for imported virgin plastic polymer in a range of existing products, in particular those with ‘Environmental Choice’ accreditation.

Marae-based recycling in remote areas        

Applicant: Community Business and Environment Centre
Region: Northland
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $30,000
                                                       
This study will investigate using marae as drop off points for recycling in remote rural areas.  Through a pilot study incorporating seven marae (one from each of the five iwi of the Far North and an additional two marae in the Kaipara and Whangarei districts), the concept will be tested and a guide for implementing the service at other marae will be produced.

Milk bottle reincarnation

Applicant: Sulo Talbot Limited
Region: Auckland
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $141,000
                                                     
This study aims to prove that the plastic from used milk and janitorial bottles can be chemically converted to make it usable for creating new high-value items like mobile garbage bins and recycle crates.

Nappy composting facility for Wellington

Applicant: Envirocomp Solutions Ltd
Region: Wellington
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $30,000
                                                       
Following the success of their Christchurch plant, Envirocomp will investigate the feasibility of developing a similar recycling plant in Wellington. The study will investigate demand for this form of recycling in the region and seek support from local and regional government to identify a suitable location for the plant.

Plasback educational campaign        

Applicant: Agpac Limited
Region: NZ Nation Wide
Project Type: Education and Awareness
WMF contribution: $130,000
                                                       
Plasback is a product stewardship scheme for packaging waste from farms. Funding from the waste minimisation fund will promote awareness of this scheme that collects used and/or contaminated plastic baleage wrap, agri-chemical containers and other packaging waste from farms so it can be recycled.

Recovery of mussel shell waste and conversion to resource

Applicant: Environment Sustaining Products Limited
Region: Canterbury
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $200,000

This project will build and operate a processing facility to take waste mussel shells from the aquaculture industry and convert them into calcium which will be used to make fertiliser for local and export demand.         

Recycling in public places – making public place recycling happen for the love of New Zealand         

Applicant: Glass Packaging Forum
Region: NZ Nation Wide
Project Type:  Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $1,635,500

This project will expand the recycling facilities available in the 12 regions hosting Rugby World Cup games. The facilities will remain in place after the event. The project will promote the LoveNZ brand by working with local councils and industry and through public education around recycling away from the home at concerts and targeted events.

Replacement of virgin resin with used resin in the production of road cones

Applicant: Alto Packaging Limited
Region: Canterbury
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $42,000
                                                     
This project plans to design and construct an injection moulding system that allows plastics production waste to be used in the production of Road Cones. The production process is normally unable to use recycled materials due to their reduced mechanical properties. The technology will allow waste resin to replace imported virgin resin in the production process, reducing the amount of waste resin going to landfill.

Solid Foundations

Applicant: Environmental Concrete Disposal Ltd
Region: North Island
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $173,731
                                                
This project will develop two new plants to turn waste liquid concrete into concrete blocks. The blocks can be used in a number of environments and due to their transportability, can be reused. The project will reuse a waste product that would normally end up in landfill and reduce the carbon footprint from truck emissions when driving and dumping waste concrete.                                             

Tyregone Pyrolysis Project, Investigation and Development

Applicant: Tyregone Processors Limited
Region: Auckland
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $300,000

This project plans to tackle a key waste issue; tyres.  It will expand an existing continuous feed pyrolysis plant for tyre recycling in Auckland. The resulting plant will be able to process the waste tyre production of Auckland and will see over 2,000 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill a year.  The process will produce energy products, carbon and steel in an environmentally clean process.

Waste 2 Gold: Deconstruction technologies for organic waste utilisation

Applicant: Scion Research
Region: Bay of Plenty
Project Type: Infrastructure and/or Services
WMF contribution: $1,000,000
                                                       
Using a patented process, this project will take biosolids and organic waste processing technology out of the lab and into a pilot scale project.  Using a thermal deconstruction process, the amount of biosolids and organic waste going to landfill will be reduced. Successful completion of the project will lead to design specifications for a full-scale reference plant at the Rotorua District Council Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Waste Toner Recycling into Asphalt

Applicant: Croxley Stationery Ltd
Region: Auckland
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $45,800

International research has shown that adding waste toner to bitumen or asphalt can improve the quality of the end product, meaning roads need less maintenance and resurfacing.  This study aims to test whether adding waste toner to asphalt and/or bitumen would get the same result in New Zealand conditions.

Whaingaroa organic waste recycling feasibility study

Applicant:  Xtreme Waste Incorporated Society
Region: Waikato
Project Type: Investigative
WMF contribution: $21,740
                                                       
Xtreme Waste will investigate the most effective and financially feasible way of collecting and processing organic waste from the Whaingaroa/Raglan area. The organic waste would be processed into a high quality compost for sale on the local market. The study will produce a business plan and provide a useful model for other rural communities and urban neighbourhoods to adopt.


Last updated: 22 March 2012