Tairāwhiti residents can now recycle their soft plastic packaging for the first time at six participating Countdown, PAK’nSAVE, The Warehouse, and Four Square stores in the region.
Gisborne District Council Community Lifelines Solid Waste Manager, Phil Nickerson said the Council had been waiting for soft plastic recycling in Tairāwhiti for many years.
“This news will make many residents happy,” he said. “Being able to divert soft plastics from landfill adds to the other recycling schemes we have in our region. It all counts in minimising waste. We congratulate these businesses for being proactive.”
The distinctive recycling bins can be found at Countdown Gisborne, Pak’nSave, The Warehouse and Four Square Tokumaru Bay, Ruatoria and Te Araroa.
Sustainability Manager for Foodstuffs NZ, Mike Sammons said the company was pleased to be part of the Gisborne network.
“At Foodstuffs we understand the how important it is to help our customers recycle soft plastic and to reduce the amount of waste reaching landfills,” he said.
“This is especially important in remote, beautiful regions like the Tairāwhiti region. We are very pleased to be part of the Gisborne network and especially proud of our Four-Square stores that are taking the network well beyond the city limits.
“It has been a challenge to set up this network given the remote geography but the determination of all involved has proved that when we work together just about anything is possible,” Mr Sammons said.
Soft plastic collected in the region will be recycled at Future Post’s plant in Waiuku, South Auckland. Jerome Wenzlick, Founder of Future Post says that the partnership with the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme benefits everyone.
“Every Future Post contains 1,500 bags and wrappers. So, every time Gisborne shoppers fill one of the soft plastic collection bins, that’s another post off our production line which can come back to one of the many vineyards around the wine producing regions, such as the Gisborne area,” says Mr Wenzlick.
“Expanding the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme to Tairāwhiti is the latest example of our commitment to leverage partnerships to overcome challenges and deliver industry led solutions,” says The Packaging Forum CEO, Rob Langford.
“In the past, growth was limited by our onshore processing capacity. However, Future Post has increased its production capabilities and there is new capacity with SaveBoard in Hamilton. Accordingly, this year we have been very much focussing on identifying logistics solutions to enable collection growth,” he said.
