John Webber, Manager of The Packaging Forum’s Glass Packaging Scheme says that the funding to Rotorua Lakes District is part of an overall funding programme which has allocated $501,000 in the past year to support Council.

Community and Commercial projects. “48% of our funding is to Councils to assist with the purchase of public place recycling bins and infrastructure to increase the recovery of glass containers. We are particularly keen to support projects which allow ratepayers to separate their glass containers from other recyclables so that the recovered glass is of a high quality and can be processed into new glass containers which is the optimum recycling outcome.

“It is great to see that Rotorua Lakes are introducing separate glass and mixed recycling bins along with a waste bin at key public place recycling stations around the region. Through our Glass Scheme we have also supported the funding of separate glass collections at kerbside in the region.”

“Our schemes support projects in regions which have relatively low permanent residents and high tourist / visitor numbers and Rotorua Lakes District meets these criteria. We have also supported projectsin Marlborough, Thames Coromandel, South Taranaki, Mackenzie District and Ashburton.”

Webber added that voluntary product stewardship provides a value for money solution to increasing packaging recycling rates: “We believe that our voluntary product stewardship schemes provide a best cost solution to increase recycling rates. Research by economist consultancy Covecshows compelling economic evidence that the cost of introducing a 10 cents charge on every beverage container in New Zealand far outweighs the forecasted increase in the recycling rate, which is already increasing through voluntary product stewardship at a fraction of the cost.

“The glass recycling rate in New Zealand is already at 73% having benefited from a decade of voluntary product stewardship and the overall beverage containers recycling rate is over 69%. New Zealanders are used to the ease and convenience of kerbside collections and setting up hundreds of collection facilities around the country to allow people to take back their bottles makes no economic sense at all.”