The glove and high vis jacket wearing crew colour sorted a ''mountain'' of glass in freezing weather in the Central Otago WasteBusters yard - one of the activities planned for World Environment Week.
The project, organised by MAD4CO (Making a Difference for Central Otago), involved volunteers from the district along with eight volunteers from O I New Zealand - the country's biggest user of recycled glass - and Kate Alcock, project manager for the Sustainable Business Council.
They spent two and a half days sorting the glass, which will be shipped to O I's Auckland plant to be recycled. The sorted glass had yet to be weighed yesterday but was expected to be about 80 tonnes.
O I New Zealand's sustainability manager Penny Garland said it was important to colour sort the glass to maximise its re use. Recycling glass had multiple environmental benefits, including reducing energy use and carbon dioxide emissions as well as reducing the amount of raw materials needed for production.
''Last year, O I NZ used more than 116,000 tonnes of recycled glass, and last year the Central Otago district recycled nearly 700 tonnes,'' she said.
''We see this glass mountain as a valuable resource and, of course, glass is 100% endlessly recyclable, so this material will go into making more bottles, as well as reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill,'' she said.
Ms Alcock said despite what people might think, it was a pleasant way to spend the long weekend.
''What's not to like? There's stunning scenery, fine weather, fantastic people, the community has really embraced us and we've enjoyed fabulous hospitality while we've been working.''
