Please sign our petition to tell Waverley Council that we want a soft plastic pickup service in Waverley.

Everyday, Waverley residents are throwing away a valuable resource that could be used in the circular economy to create recycled products instead of filling landfill: SOFT PLASTICS.

This includes biscuit packaging, bubble wrap, empty pasta and rice packets, vegetable packaging, cereal box liners, cling wrap …….  These plastics cannot be recycled in the yellow bin as they damage recycling machinery. So the only options are to throw them in the red landfill bin or try to remember to take them with you on your next shop to the local supermarket 'Redcycle' bin, which is usually overflowing.

 But there is a BETTER SOLUTION for soft plastics which many other councils have implemented, including Randwick. A pickup service that collects your soft plastics from your frontdoor, including apartment buildings. They even pickup other recyclables such as clothing, e-waste and batteries. You just gather your waste resources in a bag and book a regular pickup. So your waste can become a resource for recycled products, eg outdoor furniture or road base.

 Recycle Smart is operating in Randwick City Council to pick up recyclables and deliver them to recycling drop-off points. We want Waverley to do the same, as well as encourage residents of houses and apartment blocks to use the service and recycle better. 

How much will it cost? The council pays Recycle Smart $5,000 per month and residents pay $2 per pickup. THAT’S ALL! This covers ALL Waverley residents and saves money by reducing landfill waste. And it will help make soft plastic recycling Second Nature!

Please sign our petition to tell Waverley Council that we want a soft plastic pickup service in Waverley.

Thank you for reading this far. Now I am going to tell you that Recycle Smart already operated in the Waverley area for two years servicing 700 households. (Our household included.) They made over 8,300 pickups and diverted 16,700 kg of waste from landfill. It was a wonderful service that reduced our 4-person household's landfill rubbish down to only 1-2 bags per week. That is all. All of the rest of our rubbish was recycled through council bins, our compost and Recycle Smart - so was treated as a resource.  Unfortunately the council did not pay Recycle Smart for the service so they were running it for free. They have now been forced to cancel the service in Waverley as their costs were not covered. Surely $5000 per month is not too much for the council to pay to reduce their landfill and help residents became part of the circular economy solution. In particular as a part of their 'Second Nature' campaign.

That is why I have started this petition and am lobbying Waverley council. If you would like to help, please sign the petition and pass it on to any other friends in the Waverley area.

If you would like to get more involved, please contact me at soniavdh@gmail.com .