Stratford schools compete to collect most plastic lids for $1000 prize

Tamariki are collecting clean plastic milk and cream bottle lids from their communities over the next few months. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Schools and early childhood centres in the Stratford district are collecting clean plastic milk and cream bottle lids from their communities over terms 3 and 4 this year, to see who can amass the most lids per family.

The prize for the winning school will be $1000 worth of vouchers for a business of their choice.

Competition organiser and Stratford District Council’s waste and water education officer Peter McNamara said lids could not be recycled through home kerbside recycling bins.

“You might think you’re doing the right thing, but those lids you throw in your home kerbside recycling bin are too light and small to go in recycling sorting machines. Lids fall out, get everywhere they shouldn’t, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Some also contain seals or materials that just can’t be recycled.

“Lids need to go in your red general waste bin, or even better, to a special lid recycler or drop-off point, like one of our competing schools, so they can be reused.”

Stratford residents have some of the cleanest recycling in New Zealand, he said, with an average recycling contamination rate of around 3%. But, when a recycling bin does contain contamination, the culprit is more often than not bottle lids.

All plastic lids collected through the competition will be processed and reused by The Junction Zero Waste Hub in New Plymouth and Egmont Refuse & Recycling in Hāwera. They’re currently the only organisations recycling lids on a large scale in Taranaki, with milk and cream bottle lids the only type they’re able to process, McNamara said.

“We hope to collect as many as 15,000 plastic lids to keep them out of home recycling bins and give people a different option than just throwing them away.

“And you don’t need to have tamariki in school to help. Anyone can collect clean plastic milk and cream lids and drop them off at a participating school.”

Information about the competition is available at Stratford.govt.nz/Lids

Milk & cream lid drop-off points

• Stratford Diocese
• Stratford Community Childcare Centre
• Stratford Primary School
• Huiakama School
• Marco School
• Avon Primary
• Toko School