South Wairarapa District Council is introducing soft plastics and battery recycling trials in collaboration with The Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, Ā Mua, Upcycle and Earthcare Environmental. Council soft plastics collection bins are now in place at the transfer/recycling stations in Featherston, Greytown, and Martinborough and at the Ā Mua reuse centre in Featherston.
The community has been asking for more recycling opportunities, and as soft plastics are not able to be collected from kerbside collections, this is the next best thing. Soft plastics include bread bags, fresh produce, packaging for toilet paper, cereals, courier packs, lightly foiled packs, biscuit and chippie packets, bubble wrap, garden potting mix bags, dry pet food bags – basically, anything that can be scrunched into a ball. Please note the transfer stations do not accept compostable or plant-based plastics.
Soft plastic plays a significant role in modern society, but it is mostly single use. Much of our litter is soft plastic due to the fact it is so lightweight, which allows it to get into our waterways and natural environment, causing irreversible issues for our native wildlife.
Around 4,976 tonnes of soft plastic packaging are used by us all each year, so the collection bins are a great way to reduce the amount we are sending to landfill. Each full bin makes one fencepost, bollard, or vegetable garden post made by Kiwi company, Future Post.
Just pop your clean, dry soft plastics into the bins when you are at any of the sites. Once the bags are collected, they will be baled at Earthcare’s Mixed Recycling Facility in Masterton before being transported to Future Post.
A free battery recycling scheme will also begin this week in South Wairarapa in collaboration with ewaste recycler Upcycle (www.upcycle.co.nz). This is great news for the environment, given the damage leaking batteries do to our soil and water. Battery buckets will be placed at each of our recycling stations and Ā Mua for small household batteries from devices like TV remote controls, torches or hearing aids.
Car batteries or damaged batteries are not accepted. A full list of what is acceptable will be at the drop-off sites and on our (SWDC) website.
