Bottle sand bank

New Zealand – DB Export Beer is building awareness of finite materials with a scheme that enables consumers to recycle its bottles into sand substitute.

• The idea is designed to help reduce New Zealand's dependence on beach-derived sand for construction projects
• Miniature steel hammers pummel beer bottles into 200g of the sand in just five seconds

Together with advertising agency Colenso BBDO New Zealand, the brand has built several machines that will turn empty DB beer vessels into sand substitute, addressing the fact that sand is an undervalued and overmined resource, which feeds problematic issues such as coastal erosion.

Miniature steel hammers pummel deposited bottles into 200g of sand substitute in just five seconds, while a vacuum removes any plastic labels and silica dust on the product. DB Breweries is now looking to secure a two-year deal to supply its sand to DryMix, New Zealand's biggest bagged concrete producer.