Research+Findings


 * Did you know?**
 * Biodegradable products are cheaper and better for the environment than oil based packaging as the price of oil is skyrocketing.
 * The average Kiwi couple sends 1.5 tons of rubbish to landfill every year.
 * There are now estimated to be 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square kilometre of every ocean in the world, and in the past 25 years in NZ, we've increased what we throw away by 73%. If we put our waste onto a rugby field we'd have a pile 30 stories high - every month.

**What is a Sustainable business?** The influential industry body, The Consumer Goods Forum, describes it as: ‘strategies and practices that aim to meet the needs of stakeholders today while seeking to protect, support and enhance the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.' In other words, it's about striking a balance between generating wealth and preserving the environment. It's often assumed that to be sustainable, companies have to make costly investments. In fact, an effective approach to sustainability can help companies to:
 * manage risk
 * reduce costs
 * become more innovative and efficient
 * grow customer loyalty

**Promotions for Sustainability**.
 * Community Events - World Hour, Lights Off, Eco-Day etc.
 * T.V adverts – Energy Spot, Helpful tips, Genisis Energy, Pukeko adverts.
 * Acts already in place – Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Charging for plastic bags, Eco-friendly bags in use, ‘Green’ products being produced.

Concern about plastics rubbish going to landfills is based on the fact that they degrade very slowly. A more fundamental issue is that plastics disposal represents a waste of a valuable, non-renewable petrochemical resource.

Why Bother to Recycle?
 * resources, including non-renewable raw materials, are conserved
 * it reduces landfill requirements and costs
 * the use of recycled material usually means less energy is needed than that used to produce virgin plastic
 * it provides new opportunities and new products
 * it increases employment opportunities.

How are plastics recycled in New Zealand? The material collected by territorial authorities and recycling companies is used for mechanical recycling. This process involves:
 * material collection - the plastics destined for recycling need to be collected; this may be from a manufacturing site, a commercial operation seeking to dispose of bulk packaging, such as pallet wrap, "drop off" points at schools, or from houses, from a kerbside collection
 * transport to the recycling center
 * sorting into types that can be re-processed together, and either
 * baling for export or
 * cleaning to remove dirt and other contaminants normally this is done by cutting the plastics into small flakes and putting these flakes through a washing and drying process
 * the flakes are then melted and extruded (squirted) into thin lines and then chopped into granules
 * reuse - the granules, or pellets, can then be used to make new plastic products.

Paper and cardboard - newspapers, office paper, advertising circulars, magazines, envelopes, brown corrugated cardboard, egg cartons and pizza boxes (remove pizza scraps). In a separate bag, place glass, plastic and tins / cans: You need to rinse clean all bottles, jars, tins and cans.
 * Recycle: **
 * Glass bottles - all green, brown, blue, frosted and clear glass bottles and jars.
 * Grades 1 and 2 plastic - this includes water, fizzy drink, juice and plastic milk bottles.
 * Aluminium and tin / steel cans - including baked beans, fruit, beer, soft drink and pet food cans.


 * Don't Recycle: **
 * Plastic-coated cardboard containers (Tetra Pak) like soy milk and UHT containers as they also contain a foil lining
 * Polystyrene
 * Glass tableware, containers, mirrors, windows, pyrex, light bulbs, crystal, ceramics
 * Hazardous waste - broken glass, sharp objects, batteries, paint, oil
 * Plastic shopping bags and bread bags - but you can use these to bundle up material for recycling
 * Plastic wrap from food and magazines
 * Grade 3 - 7 plastic, including ice cream, margarine and yoghurt containers
 * Aluminium foil, sheets and food trays
 * Disposable nappies

To gain a wider perspective of our topic we contacted three companies about their products to ask some questions about what was the reasoning of using such unsustainable packaging methods on the products. Unfortunately two of the companies (Wriggleys 5 gum and Imperial Leather soap bar) did not respond to our emails. Arnotts biscuits responded to our first email saying that we should try to contact the Produce Manager. When we did this we had no further reply which was quite unlucky.
 * Interviewing: **