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Smart Guide to Soft Plastics
Do you know how to identify a soft plastic?The best way to tell if a plastic is ‘soft’ or not is by doing the ‘scrunch test’. (You can also check our website penrith.city/problemwastefor a list of common household soft plastics.)
1. Scrunch the plastic item into a small ball in your fist.
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2. Open your fist and watch what the item does.
3. Determine if it slowly starts to return to its shape OR if it ‘springs’ back immediately.
If it returns to its original shape slowly – it’s a soft plastic and it’s best to either:
» Return it to your local REDcycle soft plastics drop-off point OR…
» Collect it in any standard sized shopping bag and book a RecycleSmart Power Pickup!
When problem waste such as soft plastics and textiles are sent to landfill, they can negatively impact our environment. By making sure you send your textiles and soft plastics to the right place, you are helping to avoid:
» Micro plastic pollution in the soil.
» Harmful gas emissions entering the atmosphere from decomposition of organic materials.
» Unnecessary water and energy consumption associated with ‘throw-away’ products and fast fashion.
RECYCLESMART POWER PICKUP NOW AVAILABLE
RecycleSmart Power Pickups are now available to all residents living in the Penrith LGA. Your soft plastics and textiles can be recycled by booking a contactless RecycleSmart Power Pickup. The best part is that they don’t go to landfill. There is a small fee for this service of $2 per pickup; however, if you use the code SPRING21 your first collection is free. If you like the idea of a regular pickup, you can subscribe for a monthly Power Pickup and receive all your collections free!
GETTING READY FOR YOUR RECYCLESMART POWER PICKUP:
1. Pack your textiles and soft plastics into a bag or two (any standard supermarket reusable shopping bag is fine – don’t worry, you’ll get it back!)
2. Book your collection date online (details below).
3. Place your bags near your front door/ on your front porch before 8am the morning of your scheduled collection day and RecycleSmart will make sure your items go to the right place.
