Moves to re

Apr 13, 2023

People in the top of the South Island/Te Tauihu may soon be able to drop off soft plastics for recycling again, with a new factory due to open in Blenheim that turns soft plastic waste into fence posts.

The Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, which allows people to drop off their household soft plastic waste like bread bags at certain retailers, began in Te Tauihu in 2017, but was suspended nationwide at the end of 2018 after offshore processors stopped taking the plastics.

The scheme was gradually re-established across the North Island, and parts of Canterbury and Otago, as a Kiwi company processing the waste, Future Post, grew capacity at its plant in Auckland.

In July, a second Future Post plant was due to open, in Blenheim.

READ MORE: * Where has my soft plastic collection point gone? And what I can do about it. * Postal recycling scheme to turn soft plastics into fence posts * Plastic recycling firm plans to reach Timaru in near future

Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes said the scheme had partnered with Blenheim-based company, JBL Environmental Ltd, to collect soft plastics from participating stores in the town, for processing at the new factory.

"We’re still finalising what stores we collect from, because obviously stores opt in.

"We would look to start [at] the end of July, in alignment with the Future Post plant opening."

An organisation was yet to be found that could make the collections in the Nelson region, she said.

"I’m talking frequently with Nelson and Tasman councils, and we’re very keen to find a solution.

"I’m hopeful we can get a solution ... by early spring."

Nelson City Council group manager infrastructure, Alec Louverdis, said the council and scheme were working together to look at the potential of a soft plastics materials depot for Nelson.

"We need to consider the longevity of such a scheme, given that we’ve had soft plastic recycling options come and go in the past and whether the option of soft plastic recycling is creating a product that is sustainable.

"This is a producer responsibility scheme, where the packaging industry takes responsibility for recycling their products."

Mayes said a baling machine was available for any organisation that could collect and bale soft plastics in the area.

Previously supermarkets in Nelson baled the soft plastics with smaller balers, before transporting the bales to a distribution centre in Christchurch.

Future Post hoped its plant in Blenheim could start to partially operate in June before officially opening at the end of July. Some soft plastics from Christchurch had been directed to the factory, Mayes said.

"Future Post tell us how much they can take in a year, and we tell them what our collection network can do, and we will obviously ramp up our collection network to aim to meet their capacity."

A NZ Post courier service was still available to send soft plastics to Future Post's plant in Auckland, with pre-paid bags – three for $21 – including a courier pick up.

People in Nelson and Richmond could also drop off clean plastic bread bags for reuse at kindergartens, at collections points, arranged by Grassroots Recycling.

Jemima Jones, who ran the service, also collected tetra pak cartons (for recycling into building materials at SaveBoard in Hamilton), plastic milk and cream bottle lids (for recycling into skateboards or reuse at kindergartens) and medicine blister packs (sent to TerraCycle for recycling.)

Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council kerbside recycling collections only took hard plastics – numbered 1,2 and 5, in line with proposed Ministry for the Environment legislation, none of which was proceessed offshore.

The councils didn't collect plastic bottle tops regardless of number, because those items could get stuck in the councils’ processing machines.