Plastics Recycled in New Zealand

The mainstream waste items collected for recycling in New Zealand do not necessarily stay here to be made into new products. New Zealand simply does not have the manufacturing base as our population, and therefore consumption, is much smaller than larger countries that can justify manufacturing plants. Cardboard and glass tends to be converted into new products within NZ, whereas most plastic, paper and metal resources are sent overseas for re-manufacture.

Recycling plastic makes good environmental sense as most plastics originate from oil-based compounds that are not sustainable. It is increasingly important to use resources efficiently. Recovery of waste plastic for reuse into new products conserves non-renewable raw materials, uses less energy than that used to produce virgin plastic and creates employment and businesses opportunities.

The most popular plastics recycled in NZ are:
• PET (clear soft drinks bottles); and
• HDPE (milk bottles)

Not all plastics are recycled. Some types (1 (PET) and 2 (HDPE)) are easier to recycle than others. Some get contaminated with food waste and cost more to be recycled (take-away food and drink containers). Some plastic types (3,4,5,6 and 7) are often not worth recycling. This is because there is low value in the recovered plastics as they are harder to recycle and/or manufacturers struggle to make any profit from them. 

Numerical Code - 1
Plastic Composition - Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) 
Properties - Clear and optically smooth, resists water, oxygen and CO2, resists high impacts, resists most solvents, can be filled with hot liquids. 
Typical Applications - Soft Drinks Bottles, Sports Bottles, Condiment/Food Jars, Food Trays. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - New Containers, Strapping, Carpet Fibres, Cushion/Jacket Filling.

Numerical Code - 2
Plastic Composition - High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 
Properties - Resists most solvents, high strength characteristics, stiff material. 
Typical Applications - Water Bottles, Milk Bottles, Cleaning Products, Personal Cosmetics. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - New Containers, Piping, Edging, Bins.

Numerical Code - 3
Plastic Composition - Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) 
Properties - High impact and strength, resists grease and chemicals. 
Typical Applications - Packaging/Wraps, Plumbing Pipes, Flexible Packaging/Bags. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - New Piping, Carpet Backing, Packaging, Traffic Cones. 

Numerical Code - 4
Plastic Composition - Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) 
Properties - Resists acids and oils, tough, flexible and transparency is good. 
Typical Applications - Film and Stretch Wrap. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - Rubbish Bin Liners, Floor Tiles, Compost Bins, Outdoor Furniture.

Numerical Code - 5
Plastic Composition - Polypropylene (PP) 
Properties - Great optical clarity, low moisture vapor penetration, inert towards acids, alkalis and most solvents. 
Typical Applications - Hard Containers, Medicine Bottles, Takeaway Containers, Bottle Caps, Refrigerated Food Containers. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - Automotive Products, Household Tools/Utensils, Outdoor Tools, Trays.

Numerical Code - 6 PS
Plastic Composition - Polystyrene (PS) 
Properties - Great short shelf life moisture barrier, high optical clarity, good rigid structure, light yet stiff, low thermal conductivity. 
Typical Applications - Plastic Plates/Cutlery, Food Containers, CD Cases, Small Hard-wearing Bottles, Cable Spools, Toys. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - Light Switches, Plastic Mouldings, Packaging, Desk Trays. 

Numerical Code - 6 EPS
Plastic Composition - Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) 
Properties - Great short shelf life moisture barrier, low thermal conductivity, can absorb knocks. 
Typical Applications - Styrofoam Cups, Food Trays, Protective Foam Packaging. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - Light Switches, Plastic Mouldings, Packaging, Desk Trays. 

Numerical Code - 7 Composite
Plastic Composition - Composite (other) 
Properties - Dependent on resins and combination of resins. 
Typical Applications - Milk/Fruit Juice Cartons, Oven Bags. 
Products Made with Recycled Content - Low Grade Bottles and Outdoor Goods

New Zealand 7th highest emissions per person

New Zealand's gross emissions per person were the seventh highest among the 41 industrialised countries which took commitments under the UNFCCC - even though they have fallen 0.1 percent from 2014.

The 1990-2015 inventory is used to track how well the country is doing in reaching its 2020 emissions reduction target - of a 5 percent reduction from 1990 levels - not the Paris Agreement.

The government said the country was on track to meet that target, by using a combination of carbon credits issued in 1990 and additional credits from Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Ecological Footprint

Ecological Footprint is essentially a measure of human consumption.

Ecological footprint analysis compares human demand on nature with the biosphere’s ability to regenerate resources and provide services. Globally the ecological footprint is larger than the earth’s biocapacity (sometimes referred to as ‘carrying capacity’) by about 50% and this margin is growing.

Ecological Footprint measures humanity’s demand on the earth’s ecological capacity. This ecological capacity, known as biocapacity, is the area of biologically productive land and sea required to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. It includes all the cropland, grazing land, forest, and fishing grounds required to produce the food, fibre, and timber it consumes. It also includes the land required to absorb emissions from the energy it uses, and to provide space for its infrastructure including roads and built areas.

Put simply: environmental sustainability can only occur when the amount of productive land that people demand (ecological footprint) is equal to, or less than, the supply of productive land available (biocapacity).

According to the National Accounts for the year 2014, the total Earth’s biocapacity is estimated at 1.7 global hectares (gha) per person but humanity’s Ecological Footprint has reached 2.6gha per person. Correspondingly, the number of planets demanded by all humans has increased to 1.53 planets.

People consume resources and ecological services from all over the world, so their footprint is the sum of these areas, wherever they may be on the planet. That is why ecological footprint and biocapacity are both measured in global hectares.

Graph source: Global Footprint Network

Carbon footprint

Probably the best-known component of the Ecological Footprint is the Carbon Footprint. Carbon Footprint is the land required to absorb the CO2that is released from the burning of fossil fuels and other sources.

Separating the Ecological Footprint into its individual components demonstrates how each one contributes to humanity’s overall demand on the planet. Globally, the Carbon Footprint was the fastest growing component, increasing more than ninefold from 1961 to 2003.

Overshoot

Humanity’s footprint first grew larger than global biocapacity in the 1960s; this overshoot has been increasing every year since, with demand exceeding supply by about 50 per cent in 2014. This means that it took approximately a year and six months for the Earth to produce the ecological resources we used in that year.

How is it possible for an economy to continue operating in overshoot? Over time, the Earth builds up ecological assets, like forests and fisheries. These accumulated stocks can, for a limited period, be harvested faster than they regenerate. CO2 can also be emitted into the atmosphere faster than it is removed, accumulating over time.

For more than four decades we have been in overshoot, drawing down these assets and increasing the amount of CO2 in the air. We cannot remain in overshoot much longer without depleting the planet’s biological resources and interfering with its long-term ability to renew them.

New Zealand’s Ecological Footprint

New Zealand’s ecological footprint in 2012 was 4.31gha per capita which ranked us 36th highest in the world.

However because of our sparse population and relative abundance of productive land New Zealand has not overshot it’s national biocapacity.
Our total biocapacity in 2012 was 10.19gha so New Zealand has a biological reserve of 5.88gha.

Source: https://econation.co.nz/ecological-footprint/

Shampoo & Hair-care Routines Carbon Footprint

the carbon footprint and energy costs of shampoo and hair-care routines

http://ecohairandbeauty.com/the-carbon-footprint-and-energy-costs-of-shampoo-and-hair-care-routines/

What is a carbon footprint and how can you measure it?

Climate change brings significant risks to businesses and economies, so it’s important to minimise your own impact. The first step is to measure your emissions – read on to find out how.

With the next round of the UN climate talks commencing in Paris at the end of the month, the spotlight is firmly on climate change, with Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, asking why more isn’t being done to address it.

Measuring your carbon emissions offers a consistent, accurate and transparent look at the amount of carbon your business creates.  You can measure your emissions by calculating your carbon footprint, which is the total output of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person.  ‘Carbon’ is used as shorthand for all greenhouse gases as it is the most dominant,  although there may be other gases in addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) that contribute to your organisation’s carbon footprint.

Measuring your carbon footprint enables you to take some initial steps to adapting to a changing world and creating a more resilient business.

How can you measure your footprint?

The Annual Carbon Emission calculator (ACE) was developed by Catalyst Ltd ®  to help measure your carbon emissions. It includes various different measurement options for each activity, to fit in with how you currently collect your data.

It is a simple Excel workbook with:

• Monthly sheets for you to input your usage each month
• Automatically populated graphs of cumulative annual emissions.

Simply input data on waste, energy use, refrigerant loss (if applicable) and travel (including by plane and taxi) into the appropriate month’s sheet to keep track of your carbon emissions.

The provided charts have pre-set destinations for air and road transport that help estimate distance travelled. Standard emissions factors are used to convert energy to emissions, meaning most emissions factors incorporate non-CO2 gases. These units are given in CO2equivalent (CO2e).  For help on using ACE contact the Sustainable Business Network or Catalyst Ltd.

Five steps to calculating your carbon footprint

Step 1: Understanding why you are doing it

Your motivations for calculating your carbon footprint are important as that determines how and what you measure.  For example, if you only want to report internally in your business as a means of engagement this will be very different to reporting to a legislative framework for mandatory carbon accounting.

Step 2: Defining your emissions

There are three agreed ‘scopes’ for considering and measuring carbon emissions:

• Scope 1 measures the direct impact of your organisation, or emissions that are created by assets that your organisation owns. This includes things like company vehicles and fuel use on-site.
• Scope 2 measures carbon you don’t create but consume, which includes electricity usage and natural resources.
• Scope 3 measures the impact of your employees and contractors and the carbon they create. This includes: air travel, waste, contractor-owned vehicles, outsourced activities, or commuting.

Step 3: Reducing your emissions

Having calculated your emissions the next step is a strategy to reduce these emissions.  This brings broad benefits to your company with the most immediate probably being cost, since measurement enables you to identify areas of inefficiencies.  Not many organisations manage to get to zero carbon emissions, but there are many things you can do to reduce emissions.

We suggest you establish where you have the biggest impacts, e.g. transport, and set an annual reduction target: this will give you a goal to work towards and help you stay on track.

Step 4: Verifying your footprint

Because there are so many different things you could measure as part of your carbon footprint, getting your carbon footprint verified will assess whether or not you’re measuring the right things, if the information has been captured accurately, and help to identify how you can reduce emissions.

Some verification processes come with certifications, like CEMARS and carboNZero, ISO14:064-1, international certifications and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.   Catalyst Ltd ® can advise on who can provide assurance and verification for your carbon footprint.

Step 5: Reporting on your emissions

It is important to let your stakeholders (customers, employees, suppliers, board, etc) know about your targets and how you are tracking.  You might want to do this as part of a more complete sustainability report, internal report, on your website or in annual reports.  The important thing is being transparent and open with stakeholders so they can see the journey you’re on and help you achieve your goals.

How do you get going?

https://sustainable.org.nz/sustainable-business-news/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-and-how-can-you-measure-it/