Minister for the Environment David Parker joined the Environmental Solutions Research team and industry partners at the Ormiston Hospital site in East Tamaki where Savory Construction are trialing a construction waste recycling system.
Titled, “Sustainable management of plastic waste on construction sites in New Zealand,” Savory and Unitec are auditing the plastic waste generated over the whole construction period to identify the main causes of plastic waste generation, including packaging materials, componentry and building protectors.
The project will also identify alternative options for plastic use, encouraging reduced reliance on plastic packaged construction materials and identifying issues and opportunities around developing markets for used plastic, aiming to divert plastic waste from landfills.
The project is supported by a grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s $50 million Plastics Innovation Fund. The ESRC is working with Aliaxis New Zealand companies, Marley and RX Plastics, and Waste Management New Zealand (WMNZ) to amplify the message of recycling throughout the construction industry, as well as working together on practical solutions to minimise plastic waste going to landfill in the Construction and Demolition industry.