84 | The recycling journey 5R Solutions annually manages 52,000 tonnes of glass, and since it was established, the company has diverted a total of 450,000 tonnes of glass from the national waste stream. CONTRACTING 5R Solutions T T Russell Fredric 5R Solutions, New Zealand’s large-scale flat glass recycling company, celebrated its 15th anniversary last September with an appreciation of its past and a clear vision for its future. Managing director Chris Grant says he started the business partly out of necessity due to a redundancy, but with a passion for the potential of recycling what was a mostly wasted resource at the time. “Prior to that, I was involved extensively with all the kerbside glass from Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn, and developing new initiatives out of the finished product – that was my foray into glass and glass markets and what you could do with it.” With his wife and four children to support, Chris started the business as its sole operator during the global financial crisis with no capital, and financial assistance from some family members. “It was sink or swim. There’s been a lot of hard work and I’ve got a great team at 5R now that are really engaged and delivering great results.” Today, the company employs 24 staff in its Christchurch and Auckland facilities, which receive glass from throughout New Zealand. “We have two processing centres, in Christchurch and Auckland. The glass from each island is flowing out to different markets, and then on top of that we have 15 regional facilities, so it’s localised into the hubs and then into the processing centres.” 5R Solutions annually manages 52,000 tonnes of glass, and since it was established, the company has diverted a total of 450,000 tonnes of glass from the national waste stream. 5R Solutions operates collection trucks, which it uses to collect glass directly from locations that include glazing companies and automotive glass companies, as well as civic recovery facilities in Christchurch and Auckland. The company processes four types of flat glass comprising windscreens, laminated building glass, double-glazed units and float/ toughened glass, plus glass containers. “They all process slightly differently, they behave differently, so there’s a mechanical process, and we crush it into a specification for our finished goods.” Chris estimates about 80% of domestic windscreens are now recovered nationwide. In Auckland, 5R Solutions supplies to a customer that produces glass wool insulation, while another is Australia’s largest manufacturer of glass bottles and jars. Much of its raw product in its Christchurch facility is exported to Australia and Asia. In November last year, 5R Solutions was named the sustainability category winner in Transpower’s Excellence in Technology and Engineering awards. 5R Solutions, in collaboration with Transpower, is diverting 127 tonnes of glass insulators, which comprise 17% of Transpower’s waste, from landfill. The insulators are repurposed into glass wool insulation. This year kicks off with an exciting development for 5R Solutions and its Auckland team after securing a new facility in Wiri. “This will future-proof our operations for growth, as well as ticking many boxes for sustainability. We will be generating our electricity with a solar array, harvesting rainwater for use throughout the facility, thermal controls in the building, as well as up-spec insulation. We will be the first tenant in this exciting new commercial development.” The end uses of recycled glass are considerable and include glass wool insulation, specialised filtration medium, glass containers, sand-blasting medium, and being incorporated in specialised paint coatings and sports turf. “There’s some amazing things you can do with glass,” Chris says. “To me, glass is a huge, wonderful resource to deal with in resource recovery. It can be infinitely recycled and turned into other products.” “To me, glass is a huge, wonderful resource to deal with in resource recovery. It can be infinitely recycled and turned into other products.” We are a fully New Zealand-owned company established in 1997, specializing in domestic and coastal shipping, moving products in containers between the North and South Islands. We provide comprehensive international freight forwarding services, including both import and export, along with customs brokerage. With an Australian office since 2000, we have a significant presence in the international shipment of project cargoes, encompassing over-dimensional, over-weight, and just-in-time deliveries of plant and machinery. PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING 5R SOLUTIONS FOR OVER 10 YEARS www.hemispherefreight.com Get in touch! 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