Plastics New Zealand

22/10/2026

It's Reflection Friday!

Closing the loop starts with how we do business.

New Zealand businesses are connecting packaging design, collection, recycling and manufacturing to keep valuable materials circulating locally.

https://vimeo.com/1192441083?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci

Developing fully integrated closed-loop systems takes collaboration across the supply chain. For businesses, that means:
* Designing products and packaging for existing recycling systems.
* Working with recovery partners to capture usable materials.
* Specifying locally recycled content where it meets performance requirements.
* Creating demand for products made from recovered resources.

Every procurement decision, supplier partnership and packaging redesign can help strengthen the connection between what we recover and what we manufacture next.

Where could your business help close the loop?

This is "WasteMINZ_V3 1" by Pact Group on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

20/10/2026

It’s Reusable Wednesday! ♻️ Small everyday choices can help reduce waste and keep resources in use for longer.

Choose a reusable cup for your coffee, carry a water bottle, refill household products and look for returnable takeaway containers.

Programmes like Bonson’s RePlay™ Return make it possible to borrow a food container, enjoy your meal and return it for professional washing and reuse.

Check out their case study on how the programme works and what they’ve manged to achieve here
https://plastics.org.nz/replaytm-returnables-keeping-packaging-in-use-again-and-again

Every time you reuse, you help reduce the need for another single-use product. Keep your reusables handy and remember to return borrowed containers so they can be used again!

20/10/2026

♻️ Waste Free Tuesday: Give your packaging another life

This Recycling Week, take a closer look at what goes in your bin. That clear PET meat tray could become a new tray!

Pact Group now uses recovered tray material to manufacture more than 200 million meat trays in New Zealand each year - showing what’s possible when packaging design and recycling work together.

Your Waste Free Tuesday challenge:
* Avoid unnecessary packaging when you shop.
* Check packaging labels and your council’s recycling guidance.
* Keep accepted recyclable materials out of your rubbish bin so they have the chance to be used again.

Small choices at the supermarket and at home help keep valuable materials in circulation. ♻️

19/10/2026

Recycling Week is here - It's Procurement Monday!

Better end-of-life outcomes begin with better procurement decisions.

By the time a consumer finishes a ready meal, many of the choices that influence whether its packaging can be recovered have already been made.

At Bonson, they help customers consider those choices from the beginning - balancing food protection, production requirements and temperature performance with what happens after use.

Their Homeal™ and Ready Meal tray ranges now include clear/natural polypropylene (PP) options alongside traditional black formats. Clear/natural PP can be more readily identified by optical sorting systems than conventional carbon-black PP, improving its opportunity for recovery where suitable infrastructure and end markets exist.

For procurement teams, that means asking early:
• Could clear/natural packaging meet the same performance requirements?
• Can it be collected and sorted in the market where it will be used?
• Will consumers have clear, practical guidance on what to do with it after use?

Helping consumers make the right disposal choices starts with giving them packaging that has a realistic recovery pathway.

Before specifying the next pack, ask: What happens when its job is done?

Check out the full Bonson Case Study here:

https://plastics.org.nz/better-end-of-life-outcomes-begin-with-better-procurement-decisions

18/10/2026

It's Recycling Week!

♻️ What happens to your recycling after it leaves the kerbside bin?
It doesn’t just disappear.

Our main video takes you behind the scenes to follow common plastics through New Zealand’s recycling system — from the kerbside bin to the businesses, facilities and infrastructure working to recover, reprocess and give these materials a new life.

And recycling isn’t something that’s only happening somewhere else. It’s happening right here in Aotearoa.

From collection and sorting to processing and manufacturing, New Zealand businesses are already playing a role in turning used plastic packaging into new products.

Throughout our plastics recycling series, Plastics NZ and Waste-Ed with Kate are taking a closer look at how the system works, what belongs in your recycling bin, and the simple things we can all do to improve recycling outcomes.

🎥 Watch our main video to follow the journey of plastics through the recycling system — and see recycling in action here in New Zealand.
https://youtu.be/jUOGt2n8HJI?si=ZKmIoagTiTRg4R5Q

This Recycling Week explore what happens after you put your recycling in the bin. ♻️

If you’ve ever questioned recycling, this will change how you see i...

15/10/2026

♻️ NZ Recycling Week is coming next week — so let’s talk about what actually belongs in your kerbside recycling bin.

Not all plastic items are created equal when it comes to kerbside recycling. In New Zealand, it’s generally packaging from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry that can go in the recycling bin — while reusable containers and other plastic items need to stay out.

Think packaging that you’ve finished using, rather than plastic products you’ve purchased to use again and again.

· Kitchen packaging

· Bathroom packaging

· Laundry packaging

But things like reusable containers and other plastic household items aren’t kerbside recycling.

In the next video of our plastics recycling series, Waste-Ed with Kate takes a closer look at the types of plastic items that are accepted — and those that aren’t.

Plastics NZ partnered with Kate Fenwick to help Kiwis better understand what belongs in the recycling bin and what happens to those materials after collection.

Watch the reel to find out what’s in — and what’s out — when it comes to kerbside recycling.

https://youtube.com/shorts/b###0Y-_MuE?si=HVhuw2nh1UqR3la0

Follow along as we explore plastics recycling in action in the lead-up to Recycling Week. ♻️🇳🇿

In NZ, kerbside recycling is for single-use plastic packaging from ...

13/10/2026

♻️ Recycling Week is coming — and small actions can make a big difference.

Before your recycling goes in the bin, taking a moment to prepare it properly can help improve what happens further down the recycling chain.
• Empty it – make sure containers are free from leftover food and liquid.
• Keep it clean – a quick rinse can help prevent contamination.
• Get it ready – follow your local kerbside recycling guidelines and make sure items are presented as required.

These might seem like small steps, but they can have a surprisingly big impact on the quality of materials that can be recovered and recycled.

In the next video of our plastics recycling series, Waste-Ed with Kate takes us through some simple ways to prepare your recycling before it goes in the bin — and explains why getting it right matters.

Plastics NZ partnered with Kate Fenwick to help Kiwis better understand what happens after the recycling bin is collected, and how the right materials can be recovered, reprocessed and turned into new products here in Aotearoa.

Watch the reel for simple tips to prep your recycling and help give your recyclables their best chance of a second life.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Pv0cyzB-PYA?si=Lf76W2slX2bRoa-m

Follow along as we explore plastics recycling in action in the lead-up to Recycling Week. ♻️

Recycling prep is not a big job, but it does matter.Lids off.Was...

13/10/2026

It's International E-Waste Day!
Check out the links below to see where you can recycle your E-Waste in New Zealand.
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💚♻️ 🌱🌍Today is International E-Waste Day. 💚♻️ 🌱🌍

It’s a good day to look around the house, garage, office or drawer and ask: what unused electronics are we holding onto - and what could have a second life?

💻📱♻️ Old laptops, phones, tablets, computer equipment and other electronics contain valuable materials that can stay in circulation 🔄 when products are repaired 🔧, reused 💚 or responsibly recycled. 🌱

TechCollect NZ makes it easier for New Zealanders to do the right thing with unwanted electronics through a growing national network and trusted recycling pathways.

Our goal is simple: a future where every New Zealander can easily access a nationally coordinated system that prioritises repair, reuse and responsible recycling - wherever they live.

As a registered charity, we’re proud to be working with communities, councils, recyclers and industry to help make that future a reality.

This International E-Waste Day, don’t leave old technology forgotten in a drawer. Give it the chance of a second life.

📍Find your nearest TechCollect NZ drop-off point: techcollect.nz/scan

13/10/2026

Formrite Plastics Achieves OCS NZ Certification

Congratulations to Formrite Plastics on achieving certification under the Operation Clean Sweep New Zealand (OCS NZ) programme!

OCS NZ certification represents a genuine commitment to preventing plastic resin loss and protecting our environment. Every site is rigorously assessed against the standards in the OCS NZ Guide, with certification awarded only when all requirements are met.

From repairing damaged drain covers and strengthening spill response procedures to staff training and improved internal systems, achieving certification takes action, accountability, and a commitment to continual improvement.

A huge thank you to Phil and the team at Formrite Plastics for putting in the work and helping raise the standard for our industry. It takes commitment to make meaningful change, and this is an important step towards a cleaner, more responsible plastics industry.

Ready to take the next step?

Download the OCS NZ Guide and find out how your site can get involved:
https://operationcleansweep.org.nz/resources