Do You Know What You Can REDcycle?
There is so much confusion about plastic bags, wrappers and rubbish. While some of us work to become zero or at least less waste homes, there are plenty of people who are not interested. Also it is not easy to avoid all plastic packaging. The REDcycle bins are a fantastic initative, that mean you can take any unavoidable soft plastics for recycling. REDcycle is a recycling programme that recycles flexible plastics – the ones you can’t put in your usual recycling bin. You might be surprised to find out exactly what can be recycled in the REDCycle bins. There are REDcycle bins near the checkouts in 480 Coles stores and 100 Woolworths stores around Australia. Find your closest drop-off point using the store locator on REDcycle website.
How does REDcycle work?
- The first step is to make sure you collect all the soft plastics that you can’t recycle in your usual council bin. We keep a box and place them all in as we go and when full, I run them down to Coles or Woolworths.
- You need to make sure they are as dry and as empty as possible. But you do not have to wash them out. REDcycle say that their processing can manage a limited amount of contamination (such as a few crumbs or a bit of dried gravy). Please ensure your plastics are dry however because wet plastic creates a mould problem.
- Drop your soft plastics into your nearest REDcycle collection bin and RED Group will do the rest.
- There are participating supermarkets all around Australia. Find the REDcycle drop off point nearest to you.
- REDcycle bins are usually near the checkouts. There are currently a few different types of REDcycle bins in use depending on the store so please ask at the customer service desk if you can’t locate the bin.
What happens next?
- The collected plastic is returned to RED Group’s facility for initial processing, then delivered to Victorian manufacturer Replas where it undergoes an incredible transformation.
- Replas uses the material as the resource to produce a huge range of recycled-plastic products, from fitness circuits to sturdy outdoor furniture, bollards, signage and more.
What You Can Put in REDCycle Bins
What You Can Put in REDCycle Bins- Biscuit packets (outer wrapper only)
- Bread bags (without the tie)
- Bubble wrap (large sheets cut into A3 size pieces)
- Cat and dog food pouches (as clean and dry as possible)
- Cellophane from bunches of flowers (cut into A3 size pieces)
- Cereal box liners
- Chip and cracker packets (silver lined)
- Chocolate and snack bar wrappers
- Cling Wrap – free of food residue
- Confectionery bags
- Dry pet food bags
- Fresh produce bags
- Frozen food bags
- Green bags (Polypropylene Bags)
- Ice cream wrappers
- Large sheets of plastic that furniture comes wrapped in (cut into A3 size pieces)
- Netting produce bags (any metal clips removed)
- Newspaper and magazine wrap
- Pasta bags
- Plastic Australia Post satchels
- Plastic carrier bags from all stores
- Plastic film wrap from grocery items such as nappies and toilet paper
- Plastic sachets
- Potting mix and compost bags – both the plastic and woven polypropylene types (cut into A3 size pieces and free of as much product as possible)
- Rice bags – both plastic and the woven type (if large, cut into A3 size pieces)
- Snap lock bags / zip lock bags
- Squeeze pouches with lid on (e.g. yogurt/baby food)
- Wine bladders – clear plastic ones only
- Please make sure your plastic is dry and as empty as possible.
What You Can’t Put in REDCycle Bins
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic containers
- Any rigid plastic such as meat trays, biscuit trays or strawberry punnets
- Adhesive tape
- Balloons (of any kind)
- Biodegradable/degradable/compostable plastics
- Blister packs, tablets and capsule packaging
- Blow up pools and pool toys – plastic or PVC
- Bread bag tags
- Christmas tinsel and Christmas trees
- Coffee bags
- Cooler bags
- Disposable food handling gloves of any variety
- Drinking straws
- Film negatives and x-rays
- Foam or polystyrene of any kind
- Foil / Alfoil of any kind
- Food waste
- Glass
- Laminated materials and overhead transparencies
- Medical waste materials
- Paper and cardboard
- Paper post packs
- Plastic/clear vinyl packaging from sheets and doonas etc
- Plastic packaging that has contained meat
- Plastic strapping used for securing boxes and pallets
- Powdered milk packets, made of foil
- Rubber, rubber gloves, latex
- Tarpaulins
- Tin cans
- VHS Tape
- Wet plastic materials as mould is a problem for us
- Wine bladders – foil based
- Wrapping paper and cardboard, ribbons or bows
Head across to the REDcycle website for more information
Helen
Helen
[…] amount of rubbish to the landfill bin. Most of our waste goes to either the recycling bin, the RedCycle bins, our own compost bins, or the green waste bin for the council collection. We also keep glass […]