Are You Getting Soft Plastic Recycling Right? What Every Home Needs to Know to Follow the Rules & Simplify Recycling
Soft plastic recycling can feel confusing at the best of times. With different councils having different rules and the majority not collecting soft plastics from the kerbside, it’s easy to get it wrong or just give up. But more and more eco-conscious households want to make sure they’re recycling properly, not just to help the environment, but to make recycling easier and less of a hassle.
What Are the Rules for Soft Plastic Recycling in New Zealand?
First things first: it’s important to know what counts as soft plastics. This includes bread bags, crisp packets, carrier bags, frozen food pouches and most flexible wrappers. In New Zealand, these items can’t go in your regular kerbside recycling bin at home, which in many council areas is the yellow-lid recycling bin. Instead, you need to collect them up and take them to a supermarket drop-off point or a specialist recycling collection location. The golden rule is that all soft plastics must be clean, dry and free from food residue. If they’re dirty, they could ruin a whole batch of recycling and end up in landfill.
In New Zealand, the issue isn’t that councils are getting stricter about waste collections. Instead, landfill space is becoming more limited and the cost of sending waste to landfill continues to increase. This means the traditional linear waste model of “take, make and dispose” is no longer sustainable. Recycling properly isn’t just about being environmentally responsible. It also helps households reduce waste costs, stay organised and make recycling part of an easy everyday routine.
How The Shrinker! Makes Recycling Easier & Helps You Save
This is where The Shrinker! really shines. By compressing soft plastics by up to 70%, The Shrinker! turns a messy pile of wrappers and bags into one small, tidy bundle. That means no more overflowing carrier bags, no more kitchen cupboards full of plastic and a whole lot less stress when it comes to storing your recycling.
With everything neatly compacted together, you’ll find it much easier to store your soft plastics until your next trip to the supermarket drop-off point. You’ll also fit more into every trip, which means fewer journeys and less hassle. Most importantly, by reducing the amount of waste in your household bins, you’ll free up valuable space and make it easier to keep your home tidy, especially in smaller living spaces.
As one Wholly Shrink! customer put it:
“This handy little tool makes collecting soft plastic so easy - by compressing the plastic you can collect even more to be dropped off.”
Turning Good Intentions into Everyday Habits
The Shrinker! isn’t just about saving space and keeping the rules. It actually helps people build better recycling habits. Many customers say that making soft plastics easier to store helps households recycle more consistently and encourages more family members to take part. When recycling is simple and satisfying, it’s much easier to make it part of everyday life.
Recycle Right & Make a Real Difference
If you want to make sure your soft plastic recycling really counts, The Shrinker! is a simple and effective way to keep on top of the rules and make recycling easier at home. With just one small change, you can recycle with confidence, reduce clutter and make life that little bit easier.
