How one Bay company is helping solve our problem with plastic

by By Sarah Cates
Sunday, Mar 31, 2019 6:00 AM

The reality of our global plastic crisis has finally hit home.

When China closed its door to the world’s waste, nations were forced to look at their plastic consumption, plastic waste and their lack of home-grown recycling systems.

Eco Kiosk’s Hollie Hales-Whitaker takes us on a tour of the store’s refill room.

China made nations accountable for their plastic waste. This bold move was a good thing. It created an opportunity for change. It made us face the reality of plastic pollution.

The ‘Plastic fantastic’ revolution did change the world. The luxury of throw-away plastic was undeniable and joyfully celebrated in the 1950’s.

Plastic production grew exponentially as new, cheaper plastics hit the market. Many industries took advantage of this. A walk around your local supermarket or big box retailers will demonstrate this.

Unfortunately, the world’s waste systems did not develop with the same vitality. There was little money in recycling. Compounded with the low cost of oil, the ability for recyclers to compete with the price of new polymers was not feasible, therefore the markets did not develop.

And it can be complicated. Recycling is a tricky business, plastics are not created equal. They differ in their resin composition, colour, transparency, weight and size.

In 2019 the estimated global production of plastic is projected to exceed 376 million tonnes. A large percentage of this will be in the form of single-use packaging, which is very difficult to recycle.

With nowhere to go and a clear lack of ‘life-time’ product accountability from industry, plastic is leaking into all facets of our environment. It’s showing up everywhere. Recent studies have found microplastic contamination in tap water, bottled water, fish, shellfish and human faeces.

This burgeoning problem of what to do with plastic waste and the lack of markets, has forced Hastings District Council (HDC) to make amendments to its recycling service.

Last week HDC announced as from May 1 the only types of plastics to be collected are those bottles stamped with the numbers 1 or 2. The bottles must be clean, squashed and the lids removed.

Clear or white plastics are the preferred materials for recycling as they hold the highest market value. This is because there is greater flexibility for the plastic to be dyed. Coloured plastics are limited to becoming darker shades of the original dye, therefore reducing their on-going saleability.

As consumers we have choices. Hastings deputy mayor and Waste Futures Committee chairman Tania Kerr said, “If we all make small changes, we can make very big differences”.

Until companies are obliged by law to take full accountability of the entire lifespan of their products, and recycling becomes a viable business option, we can make changes using our purchasing power.

Eco Kiosk's knowledgeable and helpful assistant Hollie Hales-Whitaker refilling a customer's laundry liquid container.

Eco Kiosk: a Bay business making a difference

Shaz and Garon Buczynski natural entrepreneurs and owners of Napier’s Eco Kiosk on Munroe Street, made the conscious decision to sell their successful pest control business and create a business that did something good for the environment.

Shaz says, “It was driving past the recycling storage depot in Whakatu that really cemented the idea. I was horrified to see rows of baled plastic that reached the roof! It was completely full. Literally bursting with plastic. This really brought home the extent of the problem”.

Eco Kiosk offers the consumer an alternative.

“We are essentially offering a refill service. Your plastic containers can be used again and again. We have already made a difference to the amount of plastic entering landfill,” Shaz says.

“We hold 147 different products from basic toilet cleaner to body-care and everything in between. And our products are good. Many are locally sourced, such as Pure Blend based in Hastings, and all eco-friendly.”

The days of thinking you were ‘doing your bit’ for the environment by diligently putting your recycling out each week, are pasted. By choosing bottles displaying the numbers 1 and 2 and only going for white or clear options will help but trying to limit the amount of plastic entering your home is key.

Eco Kiosk also stocks a vast array of eco-friendly products from non-plastic food wrap to body wash bars.

Shaz understands that change can be challenging.

She says, “I know breaking old routines is hard. But many of my regular clients are so glad they don’t have to walk down the laundry and personal hygiene aisles in the supermarket anymore! We offer a drop-off and pick-up service to make it easier and we have good parking!”

Shaz and Garon have tried to think of everything to make this transition easy.

“We are just regular people trying to serve the ‘everyday’ market. We are not scientists and we are not greenies! We get what real lives are like. We try to think of ways that will aid this shift in the consumer. Reuse not recycle. We have to change. It makes sense that we have places like this,” Shaz says.

A young woman, a regular customer, walked through the door. Chatting and smiling.

She said, “I was needing something like this. It makes me feel better, like I am making a difference. I can choose where my money goes, does it support big business who are careless toward our environment, or to a local business that is actively protecting our environment? To me, it’s a no brainer. The plastic has accumulated, and It’s got nowhere to go. I have become the plastic police in my family! They don’t go there with single-use stuff like food wrap anymore and we re-fill here. It’s so easy!”.

Walking through the supermarket and big box stores you may think there is no happy ending to the plastic story – It just keeps coming. We are really only at the beginning of making any real impression as the true extent of plastic pollution is becoming apparent.

But small steps taken by many do make a difference. Supporting people like Eco Kiosk’s Shaz and Garon is a step in the right direction.