Plastic fantastic: Welcome addition to Napier's kerbside collection

The Napier City Council is looking to add more plastic to the citywide recycling. Photo / NZME

The growth of the synthetic fence posts market has opened the gates to the extension of Napier's kerbside recycling collection by adding Type 5 plastics.

The decision was made by the Napier City Council's Sustainable Napier Committee this week, adopting a recommendation for "an increase to the level of service" that brings Napier into line with Hastings which made the decision in February to include Type 5 plastics, made from polypropylene and including ice-cream containers, large yoghurt tubs, clear takeaway containers and dip pottles.

In a report, Napier City Council manager environmental solutions Cameron Burton said Type 5 is the second-most widely produced plastic but at the time the council's current kerbside collection contract was tendered there were insufficient markets.

As a result, Type 5 plastics were not considered as part of the contract as they would have contaminated an otherwise "clean" yield which could have ended up in the landfill, he says.

But over the past year, national markets had improved and the contractor had advised it could now accept the material at the kerb.

Burton told councillors at the meeting the plastics would go to Waiuku operation Future Post, which has been producing plastic farm fence posts for the past four years.

"The Napier kerbside recycling service impacts the majority of our residential addresses every week of the year, so amendments to the service are widespread," the report said. "It is hoped that following the endorsement of this paper that officers will be able to promote the collection of Type 5 plastics and encourage additional recycling in the city."

Because the market for the resale of Type 5 plastics had improved the contractor would accept Type 5 plastics at no additional cost to the contract, the council has been told.