Soft Plastics Recycling in New Zealand: Why It Matters & How You Can Help

Soft plastics are everywhere in our daily lives — bread bags, food wrappers, shopping bags, and packaging film. While they’re lightweight and convenient, they can be one of the trickiest types of waste to manage.

In New Zealand, soft plastics don’t belong in household kerbside recycling. If they’re placed in the wrong bin, they can contaminate recycling streams or end up in landfill. That’s why recycling soft plastics the right way is so important.

Why Soft Plastics Recycling Matters

Soft plastics can take hundreds of years to break down in landfill. When not managed properly, they can also end up in our waterways and oceans, harming wildlife and ecosystems.

The good news is that New Zealand has a dedicated Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, with collection bins at many supermarkets nationwide. When recycled correctly, soft plastics can be turned into new products instead of becoming waste.

How You Can Help at Home

Recycling soft plastics starts with a few simple habits:

• Keep soft plastics clean and dry

• Collect them separately from your normal recycling

• Take them to a participating supermarket drop-off point

Because soft plastics can be bulky, compacting them at home helps save space and makes recycling easier and more manageable.

Small Actions, Big Impact

When more households recycle soft plastics correctly, less waste ends up in landfill — and more materials get a second life. By being mindful of how we use and recycle soft plastics, we can all help create a cleaner, lower-waste future for Aotearoa.

If you’re looking for a simple way to make soft plastics recycling easier at home, a Soft Plastics Compactor can help reduce volume, save space, and make recycling more manageable. It’s a small change that supports better recycling habits and helps keep soft plastics out of landfill.