Plastic milk containers recombined into recycling bins

Abbotsford School pupils (from left) Anika Perenara (10), Reilly Hosking (11), Tyla Brookes (10) and Watene Edwards-Webb (10) with new recycling bins, made from light-proof Anchor plastic milk bottles. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Abbotsford School pupils (from left) Anika Perenara (10), Reilly Hosking (11), Tyla Brookes (10) and Watene Edwards-Webb (10) with new recycling bins, made from light-proof Anchor plastic milk bottles. Photo by Craig Baxter.
The humble plastic milk bottle is taking on a new life and purpose at Abbotsford School.

Anchor is recycling its lightproof plastic bottles into plastic bins, which can be used to recycle paper and cardboard in schools, rather than sending all three products to landfill.

The bins, which are manufactured by SULO Talbot, each contain 36 recycled Anchor Light Proof bottles, and four of the bins have been sent to Abbotsford School - the only school in Otago to receive them to date.

The recycling bins are among more than 950 bins made from Anchor bottles which have been sent to schools across the country as part of the Paper4Trees programme.

Abbotsford School principal Stephanie Madden was delighted with the bins.

''They're excellent. Recycling is a very big part of our school - we try really hard to be environmentally conscious.

''These bins send a very good message to our pupils,'' she said.

Paper4trees spokesman Marty Hoffart said they were ''seriously tough'' bins that would last for years.

Since Paper4trees first started in 2001, Kiwi kids have recycled more than 30,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard, and planted more than 120,000 native trees. Paper4trees schools will plant about 23,000 native plants this year.

The programme is the largest school-based recycling programme of its type in the country, with an estimated 50,000 bins in more than 4000 participating schools and early childhood centres.

Fonterra Brands environmental manager Nic Bishop said the bins were part of the Anchor Recycling Moo-vement hub, which hoped to make all Anchor's bottles into new products in New Zealand.

''And, we hope to foster a spirit of optimism and creativity around recycling solutions throughout New Zealand.''

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement