5 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
$11.9m for new recycling machinery
The Dunedin City Council has put $11.9 million towards high-end machinery to sort rubbish from the yellow-lidded mixed recycling bins.
A council spokesman said it awarded the money to Turmec and its Australian partner The Environmental Group and the equipment would form the "backbone" of a new materials recycling facility (MRF) at the Green Island Resource Recovery Park, which would undergo major redevelopment later this year.
The Turmec-designed MRF would feature advanced optical sorters that efficiently separate paper, cardboard, metals and rigid plastics (types 1, 2 and 5) from the mixed recycling stream.
Turmec and The Environmental Group would also deliver all associated infrastructure for power supply and operator safety, setting the benchmark for modern, automated waste recovery across the region.
Infrastructure services committee chairman Jim O'Malley said the council was committed to reducing waste to landfill.
"At the moment our mixed recycling is sorted in a Timaru MRF.
"Procurement of this sorting machinery is another key step on the road to providing local sustainability solutions," Cr O'Malley said.
He said it was essential to achieve operational efficiency for plant machinery, as well as overall "whole-of-life value for money".
Another advantage of processing yellow-lidded bin contents locally with high-end equipment was maximising the amount of good-quality material that could be directly supplied to resale markets.
"When our MRF is complete, we will no longer transport material to Timaru's MRF, which will mean transport and carbon emissions savings.
"We collect about 5000 tonnes per annum of mixed recycling material from kerbside now.
"The Turmec plant can easily accept 8000 tonnes per annum.
"This will allow us to scale up and provide the service to neighbouring regions if the possibility arises in future."
Turmec chief executive Geoff Bailey said the company was proud to partner with the DCC on a "transformative project".
"This investment in state-of-the-art sorting technology will not only optimise recycling efficiency, but also support DCC's long-term vision of reducing landfill reliance and building local circular economy capability."
The Environmental Group chief executive Jason Dixon said delivering innovative real-world solutions to environmental challenges was at the heart of what it did.
"Our partnership with Turmec and Dunedin City Council highlights how strategic investment in advanced recycling infrastructure is vital to keeping New Zealand clean and resilient in the face of growing environmental challenges.
"We're excited to contribute to a solution that delivers environmental, economic and social benefits, and we look forward to continuing our work across Australasia to support communities in building a more sustainable future."
The council's nine-year-plan included $78m for the Green Island Resource Recovery Park redevelopment.
As well as the new MRF, there will be a new composting facility for green-lidded bin contents, upgraded bunkers for recyclable glass sorting and storage, an upgraded transfer station, roads and services to new buildings, a kerbside collections truck park and office and a repositioned green or garden waste drop-off area.
The recycling drop-off area, organics receival building, rummage shop and education centre will remain and all public and commercial services will continue.
Redevelopment construction is likely to be completed by the end of 2029. — APL
