From bread bag to fence post

Kiwis can get a courier pick-up of their discarded soft plastics thanks to the efforts of NZ Post, The Packaging Forum and Future Post.

The soft plastics are sent to Waiuku-based business Future Post who recycle it into fence posts.
Future Post managing director Jerome Wenzlick says the process of turning soft plastics into fence posts is like “cooking”.

With processing machinery specifically designed and made in New Zealand, the soft plastic packaging is granulated into small chips and put through an extruder before being moulded into fence posts.
It takes about 1500 bags to make one standard post and the factory can turn out around 800 posts a day.

Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes says the partnership is a way to open the soft plastic recycling scheme to communities that do not have access to a soft plastic recycling bin or who are unable to get to their local soft plastics drop off point.

Using a pre-paid soft plastic recycling courier bag that costs $7, householders fill it with clean soft plastics and book a courier for pick-up. The pre-paid courier bags are available from some NZ Post stores (not Warkworth at the moment) and selected New World supermarkets, The Warehouse and The Warehouse Stationery stores, as well as online.