NZ company wins packaging award in Australia

Commercial plastics recycler Astron Plastics has received an award for outstanding management of packaging waste at the Packaging Evolution Awards in Australia.

The awards recognise outstanding achievement in sustainable practices in packaging.

"As all industries begin to recognise the importance of sustainable working practices, the Packaging Evolution Awards measure initiatives against specific targets and criteria, and reward the greatest achievement," said Rita Sorn, editor of Packaging magazine, who organises the awards.

Astron Plastics is an Auckland-based, privately held company that currently operates recycling plants in Auckland and Christchurch, as well as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In New Zealand alone, Astron Plastics recycles about 14,000 tonnes of industrial waste plastic per year.

The company breathes new life into plastics through collecting industrial plastic waste, reprocessing plastic waste for re-use, manufacturing a range of reconstituted plastic resins and moulding powders, and producing high-performance recycled flat sheet plastic products.

"One of the factors that sets Astron apart from others in the field is that we can recycle grades of plastic here in New Zealand that otherwise have to be baled and sent to Asia," said Ken Johns, manager of Astron Plastics' New Zealand recycling operation.

"Expanding New Zealand's recycling capability means less waste will have to be shipped offshore, to countries where different environmental standards may apply. It benefits the national economy too, because the more recycled resin is made available locally, the less plastic needs to be imported into the country. It also gives local manufacturers access to a higher quality of recycled resin."