A soft food and beverage carton revolution is under way in Waihī Beach.

Brought to life by Sustainable Waihī Beach, Te Kura Tātahi o Waihī | Waihī Beach School, and the Packaging Forum, this community-driven initiative aims to tackle the 5000 tonnes of food and beverage cartons that end up in New Zealand landfills each year.

“We have been working together to create a scheme that has longevity and the capacity to grow,” Sustainable Waihī Beach co-ordinator Pip Coombes said.

“The more cartons we collect, the more packaging we will divert from landfill, and give it a second life as a completely new product.”

By collecting, cleaning, and recycling the used cartons, the scheme is set to transform the liquid paperboard waste into sustainable building materials.

“The collected food and beverage cartons are shredded, heated, and pressed into low-carbon building boards that look like plywood,” said Coombes.

She said the process, done in New Zealand, uses 100% renewable energy, eliminates the need for glue, resins, or additional water and recycles all waste generated during production.

To ensure successful recycling, community members are being asked to cut open their cartons, clean them thoroughly, flatten them, and keep the caps on.

“We cannot accept paper, glass, plastic, or metal. Only food and beverage cartons such as alternative milk cartons, stock cartons and juice boxes.”

Drop-off collection points around Waihī Beach are in place, including Waihī Beach School, Surf Shack Eatery, Bowentown Beach Holiday Park, Waihī Beach RSA, Secret Garden and Athenree Hot Springs & Holiday Park.

“Our wonderful businesses and sustainability ambassadors have specific receptacles in place,” Coombes said.

Waihī Beach School principal Rachael Coll placing a carton into the recycling station at the Secret Garden at Waihī Beach. Photo / Bob Tulloch

Waihī Beach School principal Rachael Coll said their students have been promoting the recycling stations across the township.

“One of the projects we have is that our tamariki collect the food and beverage cartons from the receptacles around Waihī Beach. The kids cut them up, clean them, keep their lids on and they go into the stations, and they get made into SaveBOARD, which are building materials for your houses. We even have sheets of these in our own PE shed at school,” Coll said.

“This scheme represents a real-world example of the circular economy in action. What starts as a UHT milk carton could become a sheet of building material.

“As processing and recycling technology continues to develop, who knows what next for that humble food and beverage carton.”