The Ministry for the Environment has just released new recycling requirements for territorial authorities that exclude plastic plant pots, including plastic 5, from kerbside collections.
NZPPI has met since with MfE to discuss the exclusion and update them on the industry consultation undertaken by our Plastic Advisory Committee and its report. MfE have said that the plastic 5 pot exclusion may be revisited in the future. But only if our industry agrees to move away from dark pots and only use grey plastic 5 pots (if they use plastic at all)
From 1 February 2024, councils will be required to standardise the materials they accept in council-managed kerbside recycling collections. The new requirements were published in the New Zealand Gazette. Read the full gazette notice.
MfE's rationale for excluding plant pots, including those made of plastic 5, is:
- Many plant pots are black or dark colours that are difficult for optical sorting technology at recycling plants to correctly sort. Plant pots are also often not clean and have the potential to contaminate recycling.
- Alternative Recycling Options: Many garden stores (including Mitre 10, Bunnings, and Kings Plant Barn) operate drop-off recycling schemes for plant pots.
To enable us to continue our advocacy role in this space and provide evidence to MfE that our industry is on board to adopting grey plastic 5 pots, please fill in th plastics survey.