Industry Funded Cap and Lids Recycling Scheme Launched

The industry-funded Caps and Lids collection scheme operated by The Packaging Forum has now commenced. The scheme officially launched at New World Birkenhead on Thursday 5th September and an impressive volume of caps and lids was collected on the first day!

This is a promising start towards diverting caps and lids away from landfill and back into the circular economy.

Material recovery facilities often struggle to manage caps and lids. Their dimensions make them challenging to sort, with small items falling through machines and flat lids posing a risk of incorrect sorting. The decision was made to exclude caps and lids from the kerbside standardisation roll out in February. Without a standalone recovery system, this meant that a significant volume of recyclable material would be destined for landfill.

The new scheme, which is 100% funded by participating stakeholders, provides a circular end of life for recovered material. Metal caps and lids will be sent to metal recyclers in New Zealand to be reprocessed. The plastic lids will go to PACT Recycling in Auckland to be granulated, washed, and dried before being sent to Australia to be reprocessed into new products including wheelie bins, flowers pots, slipsheet and cable covers.

With a significant percentage of household packaging using caps and lids, the impact of this initiative could be substantial. For some perspective, around 60% of packaging in the food and grocery sector includes caps or lids. This initiative not only helps divert waste but also supports brand owners and processors in meeting their sustainability commitments.

Caps and lids collection boxes are now in action at selected New World, PAK’nSAVE, and Four Square supermarkets in Auckland, Tauranga, and Christchurch. More regions and collection points will be available for Kiwis to drop off their caps and lids in the coming weeks.

For those interested, the scheme is actively seeking more companies to participate, expanding its reach and effectiveness. To find out more, visit: https://capslids.recycling.kiwi.nz/