Household polystyrene recycling comes to Westport

Mitre 10, EXPOL, Hilton Haulage and the Buller District Council have joined forces to deliver a project which enables Buller residents to recycle their polystyrene, preventing it from going to landfill. 

On 1 September, a collection cube was made available in Mitre 10’s trade drive-through, where households can now drop off small quantities of polystyrene, free of charge. 

Once collected, the polystyrene will be sent to Christchurch, where it will be recycled by EXPOL. EXPOL is a polystyrene manufacturer which incorporates recycled content into a number of its products. 

Polystyrene must meet the following criteria in order to be accepted: 

• Each household can drop off up to 240 litres. 

• Polystyrene must be clean. This means no dirt, food waste or residue, stickers or tape on the polystyrene. 

Hilton Haulage Ltd, a nationwide New Zealand transport and storage company which has recently established a branch in Westport, will cart and store the cubes once filled with polystyrene.   

Council will support the programme by funding the freight costs associated with transporting full cubes from Hilton Haulage’s storage area in Westport to the EXPOL factory in Christchurch.  

The funds used to support the programme come from the Waste Minimisation Funds received from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Levy Fund. 

Mitre 10 will also provide trade customers (e.g. builders) with bags to collect their polystyrene at a cost of $40 per cubic metre bag. The costs claimed will be used to fund the freight for commercial clients. 

This initiative will benefit Westport residents as polystyrene is currently being disposed of as refuse at the users' cost. 

For more information, visit https://www.expol.co.nz/recycling-programmes 

-ENDS- 

For further information please contact: 
Coordinator waste management 
Juliana Ruiz 
juliana.ruiz@bdc.govt.nz