Did you know that nearly 10% of all packaging material is made up of caps and lids?!

It’s estimated that around 16,000 tonnes of caps and lids are in circulation annually—that’s the equivalent of 900 truckloads of waste. Shockingly, 60% of household grocery items come with a cap or lid to keep products safe and secure.

That’s a huge amount of waste that could be recycled. But due to changes in kerbside recycling regulations introduced by the government in February, these materials are now ending up in landfills.

Despite being made of valuable plastic and metal, caps and lids are no longer accepted in kerbside recycling collections.

However, there’s good news! The Caps & Lids Recycling Programme, launched this month, aims to divert as many metal and plastic caps and lids as possible from landfills, ensuring they are recycled into new products instead.

This 100% member-funded initiative is managed by The Packaging Forum, which also oversees other recycling schemes such as the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, the Food and Beverage Container Recycling Scheme, and the Glass Packaging Forum Scheme.

Several industry groups support this effort, including the NZ Food and Grocery Council, Plastics NZ, and the NZ Association of Metal Recyclers.

• Metal caps are sent to local recyclers like Hayes Metals, Simms Metals, and the Association of Metal Recyclers for processing and reuse.
• Plastic lids are collected by PACT Recycling in Auckland, where they are granulated, washed, and dried. They are then shipped to Australia for further sorting and recycling into products like wheelie bins, flower pots, slipsheets, and cable covers.

This programme offers a sustainable solution, giving these caps and lids a second life instead of sending them to landfills.

Photo: Mangawhai Heads Four Squares new collection boxes.

Currently, there are only two official collection points on The Caps & Lids webiste, however we have also added a few that we are aware of below - totally four. We need more businesses to come onboard to help us reduce the amount of recyclable waste that would otherwise go to landfill.

Collection Locations:

• New World Albany: 219 Don McKinnon Drive, Albany
• Four Square Mangawhai Heads: 3 Wood Street, Mangawhai Heads
• Less Waste Warkworth: 55 Lawrie Road, Warkworth (FYI they have a fantastic op shop on site!) - Wednesday to Saturday 9am – 3pm
• Less Waste Wellsford: 47 Station Rd, Wellsford - Tuesday 9am – 3pm & Saturday 9am – 1pm

We hope more supermarkets and businesses will join the initiative to provide this crucial recycling service.

So what can be recycled?

** PLEASE REMEMBER to keep PLASTICS and METAL separate, as they go in different bins!!

Plastics accepted at collection points:

• Flip-top/hinged caps
• Screw caps
• Milk bottle caps
• Ice cream container lids
• Yoghurt and dip lids (no peel-off film)
• Supplement bottle lids
• Household cleaning lids
• Shampoo and cosmetic lids

Please note: No coffee cup lids or glass.

Metals accepted at collection points:

• Crown caps (bottle caps)
• Jar lids
• Ring pull caps
• Wire from sparkling drink bottles
• Metal screw tops
• Aluminium lids
• Wine lids
• Food tin lids

Please note: No coffee pods.

For more information, visit their website: https://capslids.recycling.kiwi.nz

Let’s help spread the word! Please encourage local businesses, especially supermarkets, to participate in this vital programme and help reduce our environmental impact.