Elliot Chadwick and Emma Smith of Stratford Primary School were part of an initiative in Taranaki that collected more than 135,000 caps and lids, which are considered a recycling contaminant. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
An initiative to divert millions of plastic and metal lids and caps from landfill is expanding into Wellington.
Foodstuffs in partnership with the Packaging Forum are establishing collection sites at 11 New World and Pak N' Save supermarkets across the region.
They would join Earthlink Lower Hutt, Sustainability Trust Wellington and Otaihanga Zero Waste Kapiti as collection points for caps and lids in the Wellington region.
Since its launch in September, the Caps and Lids Recycling Scheme has diverted about four tonnes of caps and lids from landfill.
Wellington joins Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch, in the programme which now has about 50 drop-off points across New Zealand, 30 of them Foodstuffs' supermarkets.
The Packaging Forum chief executive Rob Langford said the Scheme was an industry-funded initiative operated, designed to ensure caps and lids were collected, processed, and given a second life as new products.
Community enterprise Earthlink, based in Lower Hutt, would collect the recycling boxes from participating stores and community hubs for transport to processing partners.
Metal caps would be sent to New Zealand-based recyclers such as Hayes Metals and Simms Metals, while plastic caps were processed by PACT Recycling in Auckland before being sent to Australia for final recycling into new products such wheelie bins and plant pots.
Langford said with kerbside recycling no longer accepting caps and lids, Foodstuffs had teamed up with the Packaging Forum to support the nationwide initiative.
"Our goal is to ensure that by June 2025, 80 percent of New Zealanders have access to a caps and lids collection site within 20km of their work or home.
"Supermarkets are some of the most visited locations in New Zealand, and their support for this scheme means more people than ever have access to convenient recycling options.
Sustainable Packaging Manager at Foodstuffs, Debra Goulding, said: it was proud to be a foundation and delivery partner for this new recycling initiative.
"By making it easy for our customers to recycle their caps and lids we're ensuring valuable packaging materials stay in circulation rather than ending up in landfill."
The programme was now looking to expand to Hamilton and Dunedin in April
Wellington collection points:
- Earthlink Lower Hutt,
- Sustainability Trust Wellington
- Otaihanga Zero Waste Kapiti
- Pak 'N Save Lower Hutt
- New World Churton Park
- New World Hutt City
- New World Island Bay
- New World Miramar
- New World Newlands
- New World Newtown
- New World Otaki
- New World Porirua
- New World Tawa
- New World Thorndon
For more information about the Caps and Lids Recycling Scheme and drop-off locations, visit capslids.recycling.kiwi.nz.
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