What do we take?

We take many different products. Please visit the links below for details.

Plastics

We can only take clean plastic containers with numbers 1 or 2 in the recycling triangle on their underside, as at present these are the only plastics with sustainable recycling markets.

Number 1 or 2 type plastic containers larger than 5 litres can be dropped off, free of charge, at your local refuse station/EcoDepot recycling centre.

Examples

Preparation

Plastic Containers

Please rinse out your plastic containers and squash them. Discard all lids in the rubbish. All kerbside recycling is handled by real people, and having clean items makes their job of sorting material less unpleasant. Squashing items also ensures that they take up the minimum space both in your crate and in the truck. The more room they take up in the truck the more trips per collection to the repository the truck must make.

Please discard all lids as they are not always recyclable 1 or 2 and it helps to ensure that the containers are clean and empty. With over 100,000 plastic items coming to the plant per day it is not possible to check the lids for recycling codes. Lids can also cause problems during the baling process and they fall through the machinery if they are loose.

Supermarket Bags

Make sure your plastic shopping bag are clean, dry and empty. Place them inside a plastic supermarket bag along with your paper and tie the handles together to keep them from blowing away in the wind. Then place the bag on top of your crate. This stops the bags blowing out of your crate and becoming litter in your street.

**Remember

Plastics are grouped into basic codes for identification - shown as a number from 1-7 in the recycling triangle on the underside of the container. The presence of a number in a triangle does not mean that the plastic is recyclable. We only take numbers 1 and 2. Please always check the number. Wrong plastic types mixed together will result in faulty products e.g.: a bucket with holes in it.

All kerbside recycling is handled by people, and having clean items makes their job of sorting material less unpleasant.

Squashing items ensures that they take up the minimum space in crates (meaning you get more recycling in), and in the trucks (meaning less trips to the repository to unload).

What happens to my plastic?

Plastic Containers

Currently only plastics marked 1 (PET) or 2 (HDPE) can be recycled. Plastics are baled and sent for processing. They will be washed, chipped and then may be mixed with virgin plastic resin, or other materials, to create new products.

Number 1 plastics are often made back into soft drink bottles. They can also be made into eco fleece material. It takes 26 large bottles to make one sleeveless jacket.

Number 2 plastics are used to make slip sheeting and cable covers. It takes 32 plastic milk bottles to make one recycling crate. HDPE can also be mixed with other plastics overseas and made into plastic planking for park benches or rubbish bins.

We hope to be able to recycle more types of plastic in the future.

Supermarket Bags

Supermarket bags is made into freight pallets in Christchurch.

Print out a 'We Take' Poster here.

Click here to read Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here to see the PET (number 1) plastic recycling process in pictures

Click here to see the HDPE (number 2) recycling process in pictures

Click here for FAQs

Please email info@realrecycling.com with any questions or comments.