I don't know about you, but since the RedCycle program run by the supermarkets fell through, it’s pained me to put soft plastics back into our ordinary bin, & even worse, I noticed our red bin was now over full each week! Now we compost, & having worked in sustainability, we’re big on reduce & reuse where we can, but let’s face it… for families it’s a real struggle. Especially if both patently are in paid employment. Time & convenience are our most precious commodities, & when everything in the supermarket is wrapped in plastic, what are we supposed to do?! Kids sport on the weekends prevents us from getting to farmers markets etc etc.. 

Yes, I agree, the supermarkets should get their arse in gear & sort out this ReCycle program cafuffle, & be more accountable for their products packaging end of life.. They apparently have a ‘Taskforce’ that are reviewing things, but nothing is visibly happening. 

So I discovered through my mother in law who lives in the Central Coast, that they are recycling their soft plastics through their existing yellow bin! How fantastic is that?! The community are already primed for separating their soft plastic waste, as many many households participated in the RedCycle program.. Imagine the take up with the added convenience of not having to take it somewhere to deposit! 

It turns out, we could take action in the interim & all be doing this! It just needs Northern Beaches Council to give the green light to a collaboration with an organisation - Curby https://www.curbyit.com/

Curby offers turn key solution. By integrating soft plastic recycling into the existing Curbys app and kerbside service, we can make recycling more accessible and efficient for everyone in our community. It enables you to tag it, scan it in the app, & put it in the existing yellow recycling bin for diverted collection & recycling. This is already happening successfully in Newcastle & Central Coast Council.

Let’s be the next!

As well as signing this petition, I encourage you to register your interest for a Curby Program by downloading the Curby app and completing this survey: Click here to complete the “Help us bring Curby to your Council” survey. 

Our family of 5 collects a black bin bag of compacted soft plastics every month, which since the RedCycle Program ceased has been going to landfill. This is not just our problem; many families in Northern Beaches Council face the same issue. Soft plastics are a significant part of household waste and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

Join me in urging the Northern Beaches Council to adopt this initiative and help reduce our environmental footprint.

Sign this petition to support a sustainable future for our local community!