Every fortnight, Aucklanders put their recycling out with the best intentions. But one item continues to cause major problems for the region’s recycling system: soft plastics.
During the first six months of 2026, Auckland's kerbside recycling bins collected an average of 308 tonnes of material a day. Nearly a third of this, around 96 tonnes daily, was contamination, meaning items placed in recycling bins that can't be recycled through Auckland's kerbside service. As a result, this material had to be sent to landfill.
The annual cost of dealing with this contamination is $3.5 million, and soft plastics and plastic bags are one of the biggest culprits.
Why can't soft plastics go in the recycling bin?
Items such as bread bags, produce bags, chip packets and frozen food bags can't be recycled at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where Auckland's kerbside recycling collections are taken for sorting.
The machinery at the MRF is designed to sort items such as paper, cardboard, metal, glass and rigid plastics (numbers 1, 2 and 5). When soft plastics enter the plant, they can become caught in the machinery, disrupt production and potentially force operations to shut down.
And if delaying the processing of hundreds of tonnes of material isn't enough, some soft plastics can make their way through the sorting process and end up in recyclable bales. This reduces their value and limits what the recovered materials can ultimately be recycled into.
Soft plastics aren't rubbish
Soft plastics don't go in your kerbside recycling bin, but they don't need to go in the rubbish either.
Many soft plastics can be recycled through New Zealand’s Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, including:
- Bread bags
- Fruit and vegetable bag
- Frozen food bags
- Rice and pasta bags
- Bubble wrap
- Courier bags.
Before dropping them off, make sure they're empty, clean and dry.
With more than 80 collection points at participating supermarkets across Auckland, chances are there's one near you.
Find your nearest soft plastics collection point at the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme website.
Give soft plastics a second life
Collected soft plastics are recycled here in New Zealand and turned into products such as fence posts, garden edging, parking bumpers and sustainable building materials.
What starts as a bread or produce bag can become something useful for years to come.
Want to check if you're recycling right?
Auckland Council is working to reduce the region’s recycling contamination rate, and every correctly sorted item helps.
Put your knowledge to the test with the Recycle Right game and see how many items you can sort correctly.
For more information on what can and cannot be recycled in your kerbside bin on the Auckland Council website.