The New Zealand Government has launched a new initiative to supply recycling bins at retail outlets to enable consumers to dump the used soft plastic bags for recycling.
Initially put on a pilot mode at New World, PAK'nSAVE and The Warehouse outlets in Auckland, the drive will expand to Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, Bay of Plenty and Manawatu, among others, in the next three years.
The NZ$1.2m project will enable the government to recycle over 1.6 billion plastic bags used by New Zealanders at their homes every year. The bags are currently not being recycled because of their potential to contaminate the recycling process.
Funds for the program will be drawn from the Waste Minimization Fund and be allocated to the Packaging Forum (NZ$700,000) and Astron Plastics Group (NZ$510,000).
People can bring their used soft plastics back and put them in the recycling bin placed in the stores.
Melbourne-based closed loop recycling group will collect the bags and send them to Australia, where they will be used in making park benches and fitness circuits for playgrounds.
Astron Plastics is planning to develop such facilities in New Zealand, to use the recycled material in the country.
Public Place Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes, entrusted with managing the project, said: "The new project will take all soft plastic bags including bread bags, frozen food bags, toilet paper packaging, confectionery and biscuit wrap, chip bags, pasta and rice bags, courier envelopes, shopping bags, sanitary hygiene packaging- basically anything made of plastic which can be scrunched into a ball."
Major brands, such as, Cottonsoft, Huggies, Kleenex, New Zealand Post, Pams, SunRice, Astron and Elldex Plastics have thrown their weight behind the drive.
Public Place Recycling Scheme chair Andrew Hewett said: "The Public Place Recycling Scheme is focused on increasing recycling away from home and reducing litter and this project goes one step further by providing households with the opportunity to take their soft plastic bags back when they go shopping and providing a cost-effective recycling solution for the wide range of soft plastic packaging which every household uses."
