New Partnership Aims to Tackle Polystyrene Waste
In an effort to reduce environmental impact and support waste minimisation goals, Manawatū District Council is introducing a 3-month trial offering polystyrene recycling.
Polystyrene, commonly used for product packaging, has long been a challenging material to recycle due to its lightweight and bulky nature. This has led to massive amounts of polystyrene waste ending up in landfills, where it takes hundreds of years to degrade.
The recycling trial, aims to address these challenges by providing a cost-effective, streamlined process for recycling polystyrene. The initiative is offered through a partnership with Smart Environmental and processor E-Cycle Limited who uses a machine to compress the polystyrene into smaller, more easily transportable blocks. The blocks are then sent overseas where it is used in the making of picture frames, mirror frames and other home decorative products.
A 3-month trial is initially being offered to the community from 20 January 2025 to 18 April 2025 to help Council to determine demand for the service, ensure the costs are appropriate, and ultimately to ensure the initiative will work long term.
Being such a difficult product to weigh, the Manawatū Resource Recovery Centre will charge based on volume which has then been calculated into estimated weights as below.
Estimated Weight | Cost (inclusive GST) | |
Shopping Bag | 300 grams | $2.10 |
60L Rubbish Bag | 900 grams | $6.30 |
Car Boot | 5kg | $35 |
1m3 bag/Ute load | 10kg | $70 |
Polystyrene can be dropped off to the Manawatū Resource Recovery Centre, on Kawakawa Road, Feilding, during business hours. Please do not place polystyrene in kerbside collections.
