NZ recycles 4.5 million plastic bags

Less than a year after the launch of New Zealand’s Love NZ soft plastic recycling program, shoppers have dropped off over 25 tonnes of used soft plastic packaging at 70 New World, PAK’nSAVE, The Warehouse and selected Countdown stores in Auckland and 23 locations in Hamilton and the Waikato. This is equivalent to around 4.5 million units of soft plastic bags, wrappers and pouches.

According to Project Manager Lyn Mayes, weekly collections by Abilities Group have trebled since Christmas to an average of three large bin liners of soft plastic packaging per store per week. She noted, “That’s on course to reach six to eight bin liners each filled with around 5 kg of plastic bags and packaging each week per store by the end of the year.

“The first audit has found that 63% of collected packaging is shopping bags, fruit and vegetable bags and 31% is grocery packaging, primarily bread bags, toilet roll packaging and the soft plastic wrap around drinks packs,” continued Mayes. “There is 6% contamination mainly from other plastic items, such as bottles or coffee cups, which we are working to reduce through better signage and education.”

Andrew Hewett, the chair of New Zealand’s Packaging Forum, said the soft plastic packaging is now being turned into new plastic products. “The first container has shipped to Replas in Melbourne,” he said, “where the packaging will be manufactured into bollards, traffic speed bumps, decking and tracking, furniture and a whole range of durable and weather-resistant plastic products suitable for construction, conservation, commercial and community groups.

“We have also run trials with Astron in Auckland, which has supplied plastic pellets processed from the program to bin manufacturer Pioneer. As a result, the new recycling bins for Canterbury stores will include a 10% recycled soft plastic component.”

From 10 June, said Hewett, 50 stores in Canterbury will join the program, with expansion planned for Greater Wellington in October. He added that all Countdown stores across Auckland will have new recycling bins from July, which will almost double the drop-off locations for Aucklanders.