Soft plastics includes wrappers, plastic bags and other soft packaging. Think of them as the soft plastic packaging that is easy to scrunch up.
Soft plastic CAN’T go into the kerbside recycling system due to the issues they cause for machinery at Materials Recovery Facilities and the fact that they can contaminate the paper recycling stream.
However, soft plastic CAN be recycled through RedCycle to turn them into new products such as furniture, asphalt, bollards, and signs.
You can find a RedCycle drop off at most major supermarkets. Where to REDcycle will help you find your nearest drop off location. RedCycle accepts a range of materials that are generally thought of as single use (think chip packets, plastic bags, wrappers and bubble wrap). Check out their website for a comprehensive list of items.
Soft plastics are a common form of waste and something we can all do more to reduce. Making the following changes, will help you go a long way to reducing your soft plastics.
- Avoid heavily packaged items
- Remember to BYO shopping bags
- Buy your fruit and veg loose,
- Minimise the amount of processed snack foods you buy
- Try to cooking more food from basic ingredients