Recycling of plastic at Coles

[j*oono]

This is probably old news for you but I only just found out about it from a Coles staff member.

Did you know that you can take all of your soft plastic bags to Coles and they are recycled into outdoor furniture for schools?

So many of the plastics that people place in their own bin simply aren't recyclables here and it ends up in landfill. Coles near you should have a bin to collect these items. You can take back shopping bags, produce bags, bread and lolly and frozen food bags etc.

It is in conjunction with recycler RED Group and manufacturer Replas.  Great idea!

http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/news/display/553

[sandypas]

That's a good idea j*oono'

Another one - we were out for dinner with friends and the man has had a stroke and is confined to a wheelchair.  His wife was gathering everyone's pull-tabs from the aluminium cans of drink.  I forget how many you need to provide a lightweight wheelchair to someone who needs one.  (titanium is it??).

My cousin saves those plastic tags from bread - not sure what that one is for.

[lloydslights]

No, I didn't know about that Joono.

Our Yellow/recycle bins take hard plastic but explicitly request no soft.

Will check out the local Coles next time.

DEB

[vicr3000]

I had heard of this but had forgotten. I think I saw it when I looked at the bins in our coles.

Even though I am not really a recycler, it is a good idea.

(I use my bags so many times it isnt funny !)

[j*oono]

When my boys were at primary school we used to save those ring pull tabs.  I think they were collected for use in making prosthetic limbs or something.  I used to collect kilos of them from the old beer drinker in the house.

[j*oono]

Good DEB.  I just collect all my plastics in a shopping bag and take them in once or twice a week.

[debra9275]

I have noticed the recycle bins for the plastic bags at Coles Joono, and I think it's a great idea. I re-use plastic bags myself, but I always seem to have way too many of them

[j*oono]

I do keep some of mine too Deb because I re-use them too but end up with an overload.  It's all the other bags that really make a difference. Rice and pasta bags, biscuit packets, so many.

I had heaps of those green reusable bags but I would never remember to take them into the shop with me.  This way I can recycle and feel less guilty about taking the plastic.

[myoclon1cjerk]

S.A has the best system (as usual,like the deposit on cans).No plastic bags.Bring your own and if you don't and need plastic,you pay for it.I think they charge about 15 cents per bag.

[cherry*135]

Yes, I have been recycling soft plastics for a month or so. I never really noticed how many plastic bags went in the bin.. mostly from fruit & vege from the shops, bread bags. I have been taking the supermarket bags back for a long time.

Woolworths accepts them too and that is where I take mine.

I think we had a thread awhile ago about the recycled plastics being made into outdoor furniture for schools, but at that stage there weren't that many collection points for the soft plastic.

Our local council is trialling in some areas putting kitchen waste (vege scraps etc) and a couple of other things (brown paper?)into the green bin with the garden waste.. which will be turned into  compost. The green bin is emptied every week.

With the yellow bin for other recycled items, there really isn't much left to go in the red bin - general waste- which goes into landfill.