THEWRAPUP - SOFT PLASTICS RECYCLING
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04
TheWrapUp
2020
PROMOTING THE SOFT PLASTICS CIRCULAR ECONOMY
RECYCLING.KIWI.NZ
Changing plans
Firstly, we just wanted to say collectors, and that communities Now more than ever, we recognise
that we hope this issue of The could easily access essential that packaging is there to protect
Wrap Up finds you all safe supplies throughout this period and preserve our food and
and well. What a change we took priority. grocery products and, therefore,
have seen in our landscape our community. We also believe
It is not just soft plastic recycling
over the last few weeks – who passionately in being able to offer
that has been heavily impacted
would’ve thought that we’d Kiwis the opportunity to recycle
over this recent period. From our
all be isolating in our bubbles, their soft plastics, and play a
discussions with councils around
instead of working, socialising proactive role in driving New
the country, whilst kerbside and
and living our lives as we’ve Zealand’s circular economy.
public place recycling collections
always known it.
continue, the majority of councils On behalf of all the many Kiwis
In our last newsletter we spoke a have been sending their collected who use our soft plastics recycling
lot about how we were expanding recycling to landfill because the service, we would like to say a
our soft plastics collection service, local materials recovery facilities massive thank you to our scheme
but we all can agree that no one were closed during COVID-19 members across the food and
could have forecast the speed of Level 4 and the lockdown period. grocery supply chain who have
events which saw COVID-19 change kept up the supply of products and
We have also asked people that
everything. With that in mind, we essential items to the community;
if they are storing their soft
took the decision to suspend soft and, to the teams at Countdown,
plastics until the service restarts,
plastic collections during COVID-19 Huckleberry, Hello Fresh and
to please make sure that the
Level 4 to allow stores to focus on WOOP for serving us – thank you,
plastic is empty, washed and dried.
supplying our communities. As we couldn’t have done this without
We do not recommend storing
well as many of the stores with you and your amazing teams!
meat, poultry or dairy soft plastic
collection points having to close
packaging in order to prevent Stay safe. Kia kaha
completely during lockdown,
mould which would, in turn,
ensuring the safety of our
contaminate our collections.
PHASED RESTART OF COLLECTION SERVICES Time on your hands?
Given we are spending more time
Level 3 Level 2
at home, if you happen to find
We will resume collections at We will re-commence collections at
participating Countdown stores on The Warehouse, Huckleberry and yourself with some spare time,
11 May 2020. other locations once we move into there are some fantastic things
Level 2. For office locations, it is happening in the online space.
likely that we will delay resumption
One of these is Massey University
of collections as employees
offering Te Reo Māori course
continue to work from home.
modules. toromai.massey.ac.nz
In case you weren’t aware, there
Research and more research are also numerous other social
networking apps and platforms
While we haven't been collecting soft plastics, we are keen to share with our
readers some of the research which we have been undertaking, and also to available which can connect us
give further insight into our scheme. with friends and family, including
Houseparty, Hangouts or Zoom.
Keep a 2-metre
distance from others
Outside of your home or when you are sick, keep 2 metres
away from all other people, where possible.
Do not shake hands, kiss hello or hongi.
2020 AUDIT OF SOFT PLASTIC
Find out more at
Covid19.govt.nz
INFORMATION ON
In March, we commissioned Waste use carrier bags (yes, some are
COVID-19
Not Consulting to conduct an audit still in people’s homes!) and other
The Government’s COVID-19
of soft plastic. Bags of soft plastic categories not listed represented
website is the key channel for
were collected from Abilities, 46.5% of the total.
information and advice on how
and from two Countdown stores
Up to 46.4% of branded packaging
businesses can operate at the
in Auckland to provide a mix of
was identified in product groups.
different levels. From sourcing
materials.
This packaging is broken down
key information from the Ministry
77kg of soft plastic was weighed into different categories, as
of Business, Innovation and
and separated into different demonstrated in Figure 1. (see p.3)
Employment, to Inland Revenue,
categories. Non-branded
7.1% of materials collected were it’s a one-stop shop for all things
packaging such as produce bags,
deemed to be ‘contaminated’ – related to COVID-19 in New Zealand.
bakery bags, cereal liners, single-
either not soft plastics or food covid19.govt.nz
contaminated materials. This is a plastic and compostable bags. It’s
Which brands are
reduction from 8.7% in the 2018
survey, and 9% in the 2017 survey
important that we keep these out
of the soft plastic recycling bins.
being recycled
which shows that consumers are the most?
After the audit, Waste Not
becoming better educated about BREAD
returned the materials (except
how and what to recycle. Tip Top, Vogel's
for the 7.1% contamination) to
CHIPS, MUESLI BARS, NUTS
Most of the contaminated Abilities for recycling.
BelVita
material was from paper, rigid
COFFEE/ TEA BAGS
figure 1 branded packaging by category
Nescafe, Lipton
CONFECTIONERY PACKETS
COMPOSITION OF ITEMS WITH INDUSTRY PARTNER BRANDS Cadbury
PRIMARY CATEGORY BY NUMBER OF ITEMS COURIER PACKS
EXCLUDES CONTAMINATION AND 'OTHER SOFT PLASTICS'
MARCH 2020 Courier Post, New Zealand Post
DAIRY WRAPS
CEREAL BAGS Mainland, Woolworths
1.5% CHIP, MUESLI
BAR + NUT FRESH PRODUCE/BAKERY
BREAD BAGS PACKETS Woolworths
20.3% 20.9%
FROZEN FOODS
Pam’s, Woolworths
BISCUIT WRAPS
5.3% COFFEE \ MEAL KITS
TEA BAGS Hello Fresh, WOOP
SNACKS (PREPARED, 2.6%
READY-TO-EAT) PAPER HYGIENE
0.2%
CONFECTIONERY Purex, Sorbent, Paseo
RICE, PASTA + PACKETS 9.8%
NOODLE BAGS RICE/PASTA/NOODLES
6.4%
Maggi, SunRice
COURIER PACKS
PAPER HYGIENE 1.8%
GOODS PACKAGING
DAIRY
9.4%
MEAL KIT
DELIVERY FROZEN FRESH
WRAPS 5.2% Sales uptake
PACKAGING FOOD BAGS PRODUCE \
2.0% 5.0% BAKERY Over the last few weeks, and in the
9.5%
lead up to Level 4, products in our
soft plastic categories have seen
an incredible growth in sales. We
all know about the rush on toilet
tissue, but just about every food
and grocery category has seen
growth, in particular:
80% increase in toilet tissues
63% increase in frozen vegetables
89% increase in rice
26% increase in coffee
Nielsen Sales data - in the six weeks to
5.4.20 (FMCG Magazine)
Member update
Even during lockdown, we continue to increase our
membership as more companies recognise the need to help
fund recycling solutions for the plastic packaging used with
Use of the Soft Plastic their products. We would like to take the opportunity to
Recycling logo thank everyone for their support.
We are seeing an increase
in members adding the soft
plastics “recycle at store” logo
on pack. This is helping to
educate consumers about what
can be recycled. Tui Products The Warehouse Group
Have a look in your pantry, Tui is encouraging its customers Giving new life to waste
fridge and freezer to see how to turn the clean soft plastic materials has been critical to
many products show the soft from their garden products The Warehouse Group’s pivot
plastics logo. Send us your into fence posts. Marketing & towards a circular economy.
photos and we’ll use in our Product Development Manager The company’s participation
artwork to promote the logo. Gemma Hignett says: “Tui is in the soft plastic recycling
proud to have been helping Kiwis scheme has channelled more
in their gardens for generations than 1.5 tonnes of soft plastic
through our products and into recycling each month.
advice. We’re continually Underpinning a transition to
developing innovative products circularity is innovation, which
that will suit New Zealand’s is exemplified by recycled soft
distinct climate, conditions plastic from Torpedo7 being
and lifestyle. That’s why we used to create foam rollers and
are supporting the soft plastic in-store countertops.
scheme and the inspirational
Source: Good Magazine April 2020
team at Future Post.”
Welcome to our
newest member of the Are you one of our 8001 Facebook
Soft Plastic Recycling followers? If not, head on over and
Scheme like the Love NZ Soft Plastics Recycling
Facebook page and keep up to date with
Sanitarium
everything happening in the soft plastic
space as well as promoting your support!
facebook.com/softplasticrecycling
2020 Horizon Market Research
SOFT PLASTIC RECYCLING SCHEME AWARENESS
On our behalf, Horizon Research • 47% of respondents have soft plastic collected are recycled
surveyed 1,076 respondents seen a soft plastic recycling into fence posts and other
nationwide between 30 March bin – down from 59% in 2018. products in New Zealand. This
Although awareness overall represents a major opportunity
and 2 April 2020 on consumers’
may have fallen slightly, use to communicate more about
awareness of the Soft Plastic
of the bins has risen in some our processing partners Future
Recycling Scheme. Results regions. Posts and Second Life Plastics.
from the latest survey were The more Kiwis know about these
• 21% of respondents have
compared with data from companies and the great products
recycled their soft plastic bags
similar surveys conducted in at participating stores.
they produce from soft plastics
March 2018, April 2017 and May raw material, the more likely
Work to be done to increase they are to purchase these goods
2016 (in 2019 no survey was
awareness about New Zealand’s from them – thus growing, and
undertaken given the scheme processing sustaining, a successful circular
was suspended between
Nearly a quarter of respondents economy.
January and May that year).
(23%) stated they knew that the
Awareness of soft plastic stays
consistent – despite fewer regions
and collection points AWARENESS ABOUT
Awareness of the scheme has SOFT PLASTIC
stayed relatively consistent since RECYCLING
2018, despite the scheme being on NATIONWIDE RESULTS
hold between January and May
2019 while we reset the scheme in
order to balance the supply of raw
54%
KNOW THEY CAN
67%
ARE AWARE OF
THE SCHEME
RECYCLE AT
Source: Horizon Research April 2020
materials with our local processing PARTICIPATING
59%
STORES
capabilities. Awareness is higher in
47%
HAVE SEEN A
BIN
Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington
HAVE SEEN A BIN
29%
where collection services are
21%
operating (see infographic). HAVE USED
THE SERVICE
• 54% of respondents have heard HAVE USED THE
SERVICE
that they can recycle their soft
plastic bags and packaging at Awareness and usage
higher in the
supermarkets and other stores regions where
collection bins are
(55% in 2018) – up from 22% in available
2016.
SOFT PLASTIC
IN THE NEWS
AN UPDATE ON
REDCYCLE AUSTRALIA
RED Group will be able to treble
the amount of soft plastic it
collects for recycling thanks to a
$430,000 grant from the Coles
Nurture Fund. RED Group will
use the grant to purchase new
processing technology and three
News from Future Post new vehicles to increase collection
and recycling of soft plastic across
Whilst Future Post was closed A Second Chance Australia. The grant comes nine
over the COVID 19 Level 4 period Country Calendar, 15 March years after the launch of the
Jerome has been busy on his Who spotted Future Posts on
REDcycle programme at Coles,
farm where his cows are currently Hyundai Country Calendar a few
where customers can drop off
calving. As you would expect weeks ago? They’ve been put to
their soft plastic to be recycled
the #allblackposts fences are in great use as end strainer posts
into a wide range of products
all of the paddocks, and provide at the amazing Maungatapere
such as outdoor furniture, road
fantastic drain and dam fencing Berries hydroponic farm near
base and garden edging.
on the property. Whangarei.
An open farm day held there
Great initiative recently generated a lot of SOF T PL ASTIC RECYCLING
and long may you interest in the posts from other SCHEME FEATURES IN STUFF
be successful. horticultural producers, and NEWS 27 APRIL 2020
It's an absolute property owners seeking to use More than 200 million individual
winner. organic certified and sustainable plastic bags and wrappers have
options. #allblackposts been collected and recycled
since soft plastic recycling was
introduced to New Zealand.
Between April 2016 and March
recycling.kiwi.nz 2020, the scheme has seen
212 million plastic packages
Our new website went live on 11 March and was seeing more recycled. This included 19 million
traffic than in the same period in 2019 before the lockdown came in the past 10 months alone,
into force. 76% of traffic is from new visitors. We had an which is the equivalent of about
initial upturn in visitors to the site which has tailed off during the 1.5 Olympic-sized swimming
lockdown period. The majority of visitors go to the store locator pools. The story features a
page, followed by the solutions and FAQs pages. video filmed at Future Post.
bit.ly/Stuff-200M
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