A Hamilton scrap metal company is trying to build an incinerator at 401 Racecourse Road in Te Awamutu that would burn tyres, plastics and mixed waste next to houses, schools and food production businesses.

Bioplant wants to build a pyrolysis plant on Tauwhareparae Road, Tolaga Bay that would accept mixed solid waste, plastics and forestry slash.

The Government co-funded the two feasibility studies with Air New Zealand to study failed waste-to-energy technology for so-called sustainable aviation fuel.

A scrap metal company sought to burn tyres & plastics in 6-month pyrolysis trial

Technology company Licella, along with cardboard packaging and paper recycler Oji Fibre Solutions, on-farm plastic recycler Plasback, Silver Fern Farms, and Woolworths New Zealand, with money from the Ministry for the Environment’s Plastics Innovation Fund announced a joint feasibility study of an advanced chemical recycling facility.

Mayor Craig Jepson has been an enthusiastic supporter of incineration, and pushing for a fast track project for the region.

There is a proposed waste to energy project called ‘Kaitiaki’ that Intends to import waste from around the Pacific.

Spanish recycling services company Urbaser, Chinese environmental management firm Tianying Incorporated and New Zealand’s Renew Energy established the joint venture called South Island Resource Recovery (SIRRL) to look for possible sites near Waimate in South Canterbury.

Photo credit: Waimate District Council

Bioplant sought to build a mixed waste pyrolysis plant at the new Resource Recovery plant that sits on stolen Ngāti Kauwhata land.

The project was the original pre-cursor to Project Kea in Waimate, involving Renew Energy

This was a pyrolysis project intended to use treated timber posts from vineyards as fuel. It was rounded defeated by the community in 2018.

Photo credit: Live well and wander