Soft Plastics Recycling in Auckland
Where to take bread bags, chip packets, and bubble wrap
Kerbside won't take soft plastics – here's why
If it scrunches and doesn't spring back, it's soft plastic. Bread bags, chip packets, cereal liners, bubble wrap, courier satchels – all of it. And none of it goes in your yellow-lid kerbside bin.
The reason is mechanical: soft plastics wrap around the sorting machinery at recycling facilities, jamming conveyors and shutting down entire processing lines. A single plastic bag can stop a multi-million-dollar plant for an hour. So Auckland Council's rule is simple: no soft plastics in kerbside recycling, ever.
The good news: there's a free nationwide drop-off scheme, and Auckland has more collection points than anywhere else in New Zealand.
Option 1: Supermarket drop-off bins (free, everywhere)
The Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme runs collection bins at Countdown, New World, Pak'nSave, and The Warehouse stores across Auckland. As of July 2026, there are over 150 bins in the Auckland region – chances are your local supermarket has one near the entrance.
Major locations include Countdown New Lynn, Countdown Mt Roskill, New World Green Bay, New World Blockhouse Bay, Pak'nSave Mt Albert, and The Warehouse Westgate. If your local store isn't listed, check the soft plastics recycling website (recycling.kiwi) for the full map.
Cost: Free. Hours: During store opening hours – most supermarkets are open 7am–10pm, 7 days.
Option 2: Manny's Recycling (free, 24/7)
We accept soft plastics at our kerbside drop-off at 53A Donovan Street, Blockhouse Bay. If your supermarket bin is full or you're doing a late-night clearout, pull up to the stone wall and leave your soft plastics with the rest of your recycling. We sort everything for you.
Cost: Free. Hours: 24/7, every day.
What counts as soft plastic?
The test is simple: if you can scrunch it in your hand and it doesn't spring back, it's soft plastic. Here's what the scheme accepts:
- Bread bags and wraps
- Chip packets and cracker wrappers
- Cereal box liners
- Bubble wrap and plastic courier satchels
- Fresh produce bags
- Frozen food bags
- Toilet paper and nappy packaging
- Plastic shopping bags
- Squeeze pouches (baby food, yoghurt)
One rule: clean and dry only. Rinse off food residue and let bags dry before dropping them off. Wet or dirty soft plastics contaminate the collection and can get the whole batch rejected.
What doesn't count
- Anything with food residue – if it's greasy or has food stuck inside, it goes in the rubbish bin (or wash it first)
- Compostable or biodegradable bags – these break down differently and contaminate the recycling stream
- Hard plastics – rigid containers, bottles, and tubs go in kerbside or to Manny's
- PET bottles – these are hard plastic (type 1), not soft
- Glad Wrap / cling film – currently not accepted by the nationwide scheme
- Laminated paper – if it's paper with a plastic coating, it's neither soft plastic nor paper recycling
What happens after you drop it off?
Collected soft plastics go to Future Post in Waiuku (south Auckland), where they're shredded, washed, and turned into durable fence posts, vegetable garden edging, and bollards. A single fence post uses about 4,000 plastic bags. Some material is also sent to Australian processors who turn it into construction products.
This isn't a perfect system – the scheme has had pauses in the past when processing capacity was overwhelmed. But as of mid-2026 it's running steadily, and the more people use it correctly (clean and dry), the better it works.
How to store soft plastics at home
Soft plastics take up a lot of space. The best approach: keep a dedicated bag or box in the pantry or under the sink. When it's full, tie it up and drop it at the supermarket next time you shop. Some people use an old bread bag as the collection bag – simple and fitting.
If you're short on space, you can drop off smaller amounts more frequently. There's no minimum.
Quick summary
| Option | Cost | Hours | What's Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket bins | Free | Store hours (7am–10pm) | Clean, dry soft plastics |
| Manny's Recycling | Free | 24/7 | All soft plastics |
| Kerbside bin | – | – | Not accepted – do not put in yellow bin |