Sign up for soft recyclables

CITY of Ballarat staff have estimated close to three thousand households in the region are already participating in a new trial aimed at diverting scrunchable soft plastics from landfill.

After launching late last month in partnership with the Australian Food and Grocery Council, the 12-month pilot program allows residents to recycle their soft plastics for kerbside pickup.

Having personally registered to take part in the program, mayor Cr Des Hudson said it’s already providing a benefit for his home, and encouraged others to sign up.

“The trial is limited to 10,000 households so I encourage anyone who wants to recycle their soft plastics, and hasn’t yet registered, to do so,” he said.

“Recycling soft plastics allows them to be sorted, processed and ultimately transformed back into other products, keeps them out of landfill and gives them a new life.”

Once registered for the program, participants will be able to recycle their soft plastics in orange bags supplied by the municipality that can be placed in traditional yellow-lid recycling bin for collection.

The contents, which can include items like bread and cereal bags, plastic wrap, frozen vegetable packets, lolly wrappers, will be part of a circular solution to turn them back into quality products or packaging.

The supplied bags can hold up to one kilogram of soft plastics. To register for the program, visit the City of Ballarat’s website or call 5320 5500.