In August 2017, local company and Pacific Mini games Platinum Sponsor Azure Pure Water launched its “Give Me 5” bottle buy back and recycling scheme. Recognising that waste management and plastic disposal in Vanuatu is a challenge, the company shouldered its responsibility as a manufacturer in Vanuatu and has been working to provide a viable and sustainable solution for the management of the plastic waste which they produce within the unique Vanuatu context.

At this same time, more than 2000 kilometres away, on the north coast of NSW, Australia, Louise Hardman, Founder of Plastic Collective, was joining forces with Mark Wolf and Steve Hardman to take her prize winning technology “The Shruder” to the world.

The Shruder is a mobile, lightweight recycling machine, which shreds and extrudes plastic waste. This machine is designed to be transported to communities suffering the impact of plastic pollution, regardless of how remote they are. Adapted from Dave Hakken’s Precious Plastic modular machines in 2016, the Shruder combines two machines – a shredder and extruder are integrated into one portable unit. The function is to shred single-use plastic items, which can then either be on-sold to plastic recyclers or extruded into filament or cord to be made into other products such as artwork, handicrafts, and 3D printer filament.

After connecting in October, Azure Pure Water and Plastic Collective have joined forces to bring Louise’s Shruder to Vanuatu, and to fulfil the vision of both organisations to transform plastic waste into usable raw material with the capacity to become a revenue source for communities who are struggling with plastic waste management.

Louise will be in Port Vila conducting demonstrations of her Shruder at Azure Pure Water’s sponsor activation stall at Korman Stadium during the Pacific Mini Games, from the 4th – 15th December, ahead of the launch of the Azure Pure Water Plastic Collective pilot waste management program using Shruder technology in early 2018.

Azure Pure Water and Plastic Collective invite interested members of the public and business communities to visit their demonstrations during the Games period to see the capabilities of this technology and experiment with what can be made with the resulting raw product.

For more information please email recycling@azure.vu or visit the Azure Pure Water or Plastic Collective Facebook pages.