Liquid paperboard cartons, such as Tetra Pak, used for products such as plant-based milks, long-life milks and juice, are unable to be recycled through the Dunedin City Council rubbish collection.
So a solution has been devised by sustainable living group OneCoast.
Community facilitator Leisa de Klerk said the zero-waste and waste minimisation group, which operates from Waitati to Flag Swamp, had an agreement with Waihemo Wastebusters in Palmerston to collect the cartons for them.
The recycled items were then sent to Hamilton upcycling company saveBOARD, which turned the waste products into low-carbon building materials.
As well as collection points at the OneCoast Office at the East Otago Event Centre in Waikouaiti, there are drop-off sites in Mosgiel at Taieri Network at the Taieri Rugby Club in Reid Ave and in Dunedin at Rembrandt Cafe in Moray Pl, Taste Nature in High St and The Duck cafe in Portobello Rd, Macandrew Bay.
Ms de Klerk said kitchens and cafes at the University of Otago also collected their liquid paperboard cartons for recycling, although they were not a collection point. All people needed to do was clean and cut the cartons so they lay flat and drop them off at one of the collection points.
"The lids can also be recycled at Waihemo Wastebusters, so people could keep the lids in an empty Tetra Pak and we would be able to deal with them too."
Plans for collection sites in South Dunedin were being negotiated and the group was also looking for collection points in Waitati and Port Chalmers.
Contact hello@onecoast.org for further information.
