Clean, soft plastic can now be dropped off at selected Council recycling and waste depots, diverting it from landfill and turning it into a clean, efficient fuel source.
Soft plastic, commonly used for packaging and wrapping supermarket food items, will be sent to a recycling residuals program and turned into Processed Engineered Fuel (PEF) which can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels.
Mayor Patricia White said Shoalhaven Council joined a growing movement of Councils tackling soft plastic waste and was one of only a handful of councils in NSW with a soft plastic recycling program.
"Soft plastic is the number one item causing contamination in our yellow lid recycling bin, which can lower the quality of recyclable materials and increase processing costs," Cr White said.
"This new drop-off option at our waste facilities will see waste diverted from landfill and transformed into a valuable fuel source that reduces reliance on fossil fuels," she said.
"We know there is a real desire in the community to be able to recycle soft plastics and this initiative adds to Council's broader efforts to reduce landfill and promote sustainable practices."
The drop-off of clean, soft plastic is free and available at the following waste depots:
- West Nowra
- Huskisson
- Ulladulla
- Berry
- Callala
- Sussex Inlet
