Residents of Porirua used to recycle their glass bottles and jars, knowing they would be turned into new containers. However, these days, the glass is being used at the local landfill instead. The glass is crushed and used for road and drainage construction at the landfill. This change is due to the city’s inability to afford a sorting machine, making the sorting of colored glass at the curbside expensive.
Porirua City Council’s General Manager of Infrastructure, Mike Medonca, explained that this change happened because a contract with a previous provider ended. In the past, the collected glass was sent to Auckland, where it was sorted and recycled into glass bottles and jars. But when the contract ended, this option was no longer available.
The council is now proposing to use smaller crates for recycling glass and have recycling workers sort the glass by color into different sections on the recycling truck. This method, however, will cost more.
The council is seeking public opinion on this proposal as part of its Long-Term Plan until April 25.
Previously, sorting colored glass was financially feasible in Auckland due to the high value of recycled glass. But the value of recycled glass has dropped, making it uneconomical to transport unsorted glass.
This change in the recycling process might take up to five years to implement, due to the time needed for consultation and setup. In the meantime, Porirua residents can take their glass to the Spicer Landfill facility to sort it themselves. The council will continue to collect glass and repurpose it locally.
