What Happens to Your Recycling?

Do you ever wonder what happens to your recycling and whether it really gets re-processed into new products?  At Wastebusters we are always looking for places that sustainably and properly recycle materials so that we can divert them from landfill.  

​Some products like scrap metal and car/truck batteries have good value and we can sell them and get a return, so these are free for you to drop off.  But others cost us money to send away, more than what they are worth, so we have to charge for them.  Check out our up-to-date pricelist for details. 

This is what happens to the recycling you drop off to us.  

Glass bottles - are colour sorted and sent to Reclaim in Auckland where they arrange for them to be re-manufactured into new glass containers by OI Glass in Penrose, which has been manufacturing glass in New Zealand since 1922.

Plastics numbers 1 and 2 are the highest quality of the plastics and we send them Reclaim in Auckland.  From there number 1 plastics go to Flight Plastics in Wellington where they are manufactured into new plastic containers which have no less than 60% recycled plastic in them.  Number 2 plastics go to to be made into drainage pipes.  Sadly, we don't have anywhere to send the lesser value plastics 3 - 7 at the moment, and these have to go to landfill.

Aluminium cans go to Endless Metals in Auckland for recycling, as do non-ferrous metals.  Car batteries and electrical cables also go to Endless Metals.

​Tins and other scrap metals go to SIMS Pacific Metals in Auckland.

Polystyrene goes to Abilities Group in Auckland, where it is compacted into bricks and sent to China for manufacturing into other products such as picture frames.  Abilities  is a non-profit, incorporated society dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities through meaningful work. 

Abilities also takes our e-waste for proper recycling.  Abilities are holders of a Basel Permit to export printed circuit boards to Japan for processing to extract the precious metals. This reduces the dependency on underground mining for the same resources.

Gas bottles go to Matagas in Auckland.

Clear film is sent to Reclaim in Auckland.

Scrap timber is sent to Green Gorilla in Auckland where it is shredded and sent to Golden Bay Cement in Whangarei for fuel.

Tyres are sent to Waste Management where the metal is stripped out and the tyres are shredded for re-use, some of it in roading.

Fluorescent lamps and tubes are sent to Interwaste in Auckland. Fluorescent lamps contain mercury, a highly toxic waste, which, if disposed of irresponsibly can pollute waterways and damage the environment.  Interwaste has developed a unique process for the separation and recycling of mercury.

Silage wrap goes to Plasback where it is manufactured in to Tuffboard, which is a plywood replacement product and can be used in a variety of applications and locations on farm.

Remember, if you sort and compact your load it will be cheaper as we charge by volume.​