The glass recycling crisis in New Zealand's South Island continues as mountains of bottles pile up. In December 2005, the Auckland operation of O-I, the only large-scale bottle manufacturer and recycler of glass in the country, introduced a quota system, cutting the amount of glass they would take from bottle collection plants around New Zealand. Wastebusters Trust Canterbury spokeswoman Sheryl Stivens said the Ashburton-based company accumulated 700 tonnes of glass every year, but this was the first time in 10 years that there was nowhere to send the glass. "We have 200 tonnes sitting there now. It's frustrating". Ms. Stivens said the remoteness of the South Island together with the new quota system and cheap bottle imports had left recycling facing a futile future.
