Ever wonder where all the paper and cardboard you put out for recycling ends up? As it turns out if you live in Napier or Hastings, it doesn’t go far, landing at Hawk’s processing facility in Whakatū.
There it goes through a sorting and pulping process before being turned into brand new, moulded fibre (a soft version of cardboard) trays for packing and transporting fruit. These are all made from 100% recycled material, can be recycled again, and are an example of the circular economy in action, right here in the Bay.
Hawk’s pulping system means they can accept more cardboard and paper than other processors because they can take things like greasy pizza boxes. In other regions this material must be clean, but thanks to Hawk, more paper and cardboard from the Bay can be recycled and less is wasted.
Still, don’t throw your cheese-encrusted cardboard in the recycling. Spare a thought for the crews collecting this material, and keep your recycling as clean possible.
Hawk says the location of its factory was also chosen with sustainability in mind – right in the centre of the country’s largest apple growing region. This means shorter transport distances for their trays to the growers, and less emissions as a result.
Read the full article: Home-grown sustainability work in the Bay | First published by BayBuzz