New Zealand's Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, run by The Packaging Forum and accredited by the Ministry for the Environment, collects scrunchable soft plastics at participating stores and a Nelson kerbside trial. In 2024 it collected 982 tonnes and processed 737, all in New Zealand: Future Post (fence posts, garden beds) and saveBOARD (building panels).
Honest caveat: both outputs are downcycling, and the gap between collected and processed tonnes shows capacity limits. New Zealand still has no container return scheme; a member's bill proposing a 20c deposit was introduced in May 2026 but is not law. 'Recycle Kiwi' is a cleaning company's schools resource, not a scheme.
How to start: recycling.kiwi.nz/ (store locator).