Anchor closes loop to counter recycling concerns

New Zealand dairy producer Anchor, part of the Fonterra food group, has announced a list of companies which have put their hands up to recycle its newly released Anchor light-proof triple layer milk bottles.

The move follows concerns in the New Zealand market that the bottles, made of three layers of high density polyethylene (HDPE) to protect the contents from light damage, were a burden to recycle in existing facilities.

In response, Anchor reiterated that the new bottles, released on the New Zealand market earlier this year (packagingnews.com.au, 22 March), were made of the same material as its previous bottles, and were thus 100 per cent recyclable.

To back up its statement, it also named several companies, including Astron, Rural Direct, Comspec and Replas, which have agreed to use recycled Anchor bottles to manufacture a range of other products including recycling bins, slip sheets, cable covers, culverts, agricultural pipes and drainage coils.

Anchor Group marketing manager, Craig Irwin, said the arrangements effectively closed the loop on the environmental impact of the bottles.

“We’re proud to announce that we have closed the loop by lining up recycling separators with recycled product manufacturers,” he said.

“We have worked with the recycling community to ensure the recycling separators are aware of the opportunities to receive high returns for the new bottles by selling to domestic recycling manufacturers, who say they have more than 100 per cent capacity to use all Anchor bottles, rather than shipping overseas,” Irwin says.

He said the bottles had already been used to manufacture a range of food composting bins, called “Hungry Bins”, which contain 25 per cent recycled Anchor milk bottle material.

Four prototypes of these bins were recently installed in Auckland Ponsonby Central shopping mall.