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Auckland Council has secured an overseas market for up to 4000 tonnes of mixed paper and cardboard materials, which means paper and cardboard recycling processing will resume this month.
However, plastics numbered 3-7 will be separated out after collection and sent to landfill as Council has been unable to secure a market for these materials.
These plastics represent less than four per cent of the total recycling market in Auckland.
Environment and Climate Change Committee chair Councillor Richard Hills says plastics 3-7 are more difficult to recycle, and it is expected it could take at least three months before adequate markets resume. Recycling markets for paper and cardboard will be evaluated on a month-to-month basis.
Cr Hills says Aucklanders should keep putting out recycling as normal while Council works on a solution.
“We will make sure we recycle everything we can and take out what we can’t at our end,” he says.
“Auckland has the most extensive recycling collection system in the country. Even with the market disruptions, we’re still recycling 96 per cent of materials including aluminium, steel, glass, paper and most plastics.
“It’s great that we have found a market solution for our paper, cardboard and other fibre products, but the recent requirement to landfill some of our plastics highlights the need for us to be able to deal with our recycling onshore, instead of relying on other countries.”
