Under an initiative by New Zealand fishing company Sealord and Nelson-based fishing gear supplier Motueka Nets, fishing gear that has reached the end of its useful life is being routed to recycling and alternative uses instead of heading for landfill

 Staff at Motueka Nets dismantle the gear, first separating the hardware and steel chains for metal recycling locally. Any polyethylene rope is stripped off and this can be repurposed for uses in agriculture or in domestic gardens. The remaining nylon netting is then collected until a container has been filled with an estimated 20-25 tonnes of nylon, ready for shipping to Europe for repurposing into a range of products.

As the first container left New Zealand this summer, Sealord’s Fleet Harvest Manager Bill Healey said this marked the end of the company’s search for a feasible waste-reduction solution.