Community members across the Alpine Shire are encouraged to participate in Halve Waste's Local Soft Plastics Recycling Pilot and commit to a more sustainable future.
Together with Halve Waste, Cleanaway, and the Australian Food and Grocery Council, Alpine Shire Council is one of four councils participating in phase two of the successful soft plastics recycling program.
980 people across the Alpine Shire have signed up to the program, which has been in place since 1 August 2024.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, congratulated community members who have signed up to this valuable initiative, which enables households in the Alpine Shire to dispose of their soft plastics in a thoughtful and sustainable way.
"Soft plastics have historically been hard to recycle because the loose materials are either too dirty to recycle appropriately or they jam up equipment, so they inevitably become litter in our environment or end up in landfill," she said.
"Collecting soft plastics in the orange bags allocated for this program means that these materials can be easily identified and sorted before being treated to make recycled plastic products."
Soft plastics can be recycled if they are clean, dry, and placed into the orange bags provided by Council. Once bags are full, they can be tied closed and placed into kerbside yellow-lidded recycling bins.
The orange bags must be filled to ensure that the program works effectively, which can be determined by weight or size. Filled bags should weigh approximately 1kg or be the size of an adult basketball that has been pumped up well.
Cr Nicholas encouraged those community members who have signed up to the program to pick up their bags, or, if they haven't yet taken up the opportunity, to sign up and start recycling in the new year.
"This is an optional program, but too valuable to let pass by," she said.
"Once you have registered, you can pick up your orange bags from the Council office in Bright or Council libraries and Visitor Information Centres in Bright, Mount Beauty, and Myrtleford."
Community members can register online by visiting https://halvewaste.com.au/soft-plastics-recycling-trial-sign-up/