Have you ever wondered what happens to the recycling you put out in those yellow-topped bins every fortnight? Well, last month, nine curious members of the Nosey Parkers Group from Motueka SeniorNet decided to find out.
We headed to the Smart Environmental plant in Richmond, where we were greeted by the plant’s operations manager, Andy Cardwell. With a friendly smile, Andy gave us a quick rundown on how recycling works and the areas the plant serves, covering Nelson, Richmond, Golden Bay, Hira, and even Murchison.
After donning our bright Hi-Viz visitor vests, we were ready to explore. First stop – the truck unloading area, where the day’s collection was dumped and loaded onto a conveyor belt by a front-end loader. They process around 16 tonnes of material daily, although in the busy summer months, that figure rises to 25 tonnes!
The recycling process was fascinating to watch. Everything starts with a rotating drum that separates the larger cardboard from the smaller bits and pieces, sending them off onto their respective conveyor belts. Plastics are sorted automatically by a clever system involving cameras and computers, with an old apple-sorting machine tossing the various plastics into their designated bins. Tins, on the other hand, are pulled out by a giant electromagnet (and those of us with pacemakers kept a respectful distance!).
Once sorted, the materials are baled and prepped for their journey, whether that’s within New Zealand or overseas. Andy was brimming with enthusiasm as he showed us around, and it was clear how much he values the work his team does.
He even shared some insights into the plant’s latest projects, like cameras on the trucks and experiments with builder’s scrap materials. He happily answered our barrage of questions, making the whole tour both educational and fun.
If you’d like to join in on adventures like this, sign up for the Nosey Parkers through Motueka SeniorNet. Give Allan a call at 027 971 1100 – we’d love to have you!
