3R provide practical and innovative advice and service solutions for industry and government to help meet growing demand for more sustainable business practices.
Green Paint Recycler Brushes off Opposition
A mobile paint can crusher and paint decanting system has won the sustainable Innovation category, sponsored by Wellington city council, at this year’s awards for environmentally-friendly businesses in the Wellington region.
3R won for the truck-based can crusher and decanter, pictured below, used in Resene’s PaintWise programme. The system reduces the amount of transport fuel needed to collect old paint and paint cans for reuse and recycling,
The Sustainable Business Network’s Get sustainable Challenge, now in its second year, is a volunatary assessment for businesses and takes into account energy use, transport and waste, values and community relations.
The Challenge is supported by Wellington and Hutt City Councils and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
So far this year, 39 businesses have taken the challenge. The associated Sustainable Business Awards, last week, highlighted the continued commitments of last year’s winners YHA Wellington City and technology company Squiz, as well as new members Starfish design and Contact Energy.
Dulux Paints won the overall Sustainable Business of the Year Award for its work with waste management, including its storm water containment system and its paint waste system. Dulux has set ambitious targets fro reducing electricity, water, waste and green house emissions and reporting on these quarterly.
Founded in 1975, LeaderBrand is recognised as one of New Zealand’s largest and most diversified horticultural and fresh food businesses.
With farms located in Gisborne and Canterbury, LeaderBrand is the largest grower, packer, and shipper of buttercup squash (Kabocha) in the world, and the largest grower, packer, and shipper of broccoli, lettuce and fresh sweetcorn in New Zealand. They are also one of the largest growers of 'Gisborne Chardonnay' and Pinot Gris grapes.
“The highly discerning Japanese market is a large scale export customer and the protocols they require are applied to all LeaderBrand produce,” explains the company’s Annual Crop Manager Richard Burke (pictured).
“We’re certified with NZGAP and have a certified HACCP-based food safety programme. We also conduct regular random residue tests and only use certified non-GMO seed stocks.”
Customers can trace the origin of a delivery directly to the paddock it was grown in, and view online documentation relating to the planting, crop management and harvesting of the produce in that paddock, plus subsequent storage, packing and shipping to the customer.
“We grow over 3,000ha of fresh produce every year, so we’re probably the largest single user of agrichemicals in the country,” says Richard.
And when it comes to recycling their plastic containers, Richard supports Agrecovery all the way.
Agrecovery Rural Recycling and Westland Milk Products are working together to achieve the co-operative's aim of ensuring the West Coast leads the New Zealand dairy industry in sustainable rural recycling initiatives.
Chris Pullen, Environmental Manager for Westland Milk Products says “We want to ensure that the West Coast dairy industry is highly regarded for its contribution to environmental sustainability.
“With Agrecovery’s help we can promote international best practice and protect New Zealand’s reputation for sustainable agribusiness practice right here on the West Coast.”
The collection of unwanted agrichemicals this year is set to be stronger than 2010's record of nearly 10 tonnes collected through the nationwide Agrecovery Chemicals Programme.
Otago topped the seven regional collections in 2010 with 1921 kilograms collected.
According to Debbie Sherwood, coordinator for the Agrecovery Chemicals programme, booking volumes have been equally strong in 2011, showing chemicals are still a problem on many properties.
“We have completed three collections so far this year, with a record 2060 kg collected in Canterbury. Four other regional collections are in the planning stages, including the Otago/Southland collection where bookings close on 2nd September.”
National leaders in product stewardship development 3R Group has added another accolade to its impressive CV with a paint recycling programme under its management gaining Product Stewardship accreditation.
3R manages the PaintWise paint and packaging take-back scheme on behalf of Resene.
Resene PaintWise is one of six programmes to secure Ministry of Environment (MfE) accreditation to date.
3R Group Executive Director Graeme Norton said the company was thrilled the Resene PaintWise programme joins another programme the company has developed, Agrecovery Rural Recycling, in receiving accreditation.
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