South Taranaki District Council Milk Bottle Lids Challenge
Information from the council is below. All lids can be brought into the office from today onwards. We will be provided with a special bin to place them in but that is yet to arrive.
Our school has accepted the challenge!
Please help us!
What’s the challenge all about?
Bottle and container lids are the most common contaminant in kerbside recycling. Milk tops (and other small lids and caps) are too small to be recycled through kerbside recycling collections.
Milk bottles are something almost all Taranaki homes have, but the tops are often placed back on milk bottles when empty and then put in the recycling bin. This means the recycling bin is contaminated with an item that cannot be recycled through the kerbside processing system. We want to encourage the separation of bottles and tops, so that we reduce the risk of recycling bin contents going to landfill.
The three district councils in Taranaki are participating in this challenge, seeing schools as a great collection point for their communities. Stratford trialed this challenge in 2024 and 11 schools collected 135,000 lids across 2 terms.
What tops are we collecting?
We accept all coloured tops from dairy milk and cream plastic bottles. Boring Oat Milk and other alternative milk that comes in plastic bottles are also okay, but no boxed/liquid paperboard milk lids please. They must be the standard size that would be found on a 1,2, or 3-litre bottle
What are the students asked to do?
For term 2, your children will be asked to separate and collect milk bottle tops at home and bring them into school.
How can you support this challenge?
Get the whole whānau involved in the habit of separating tops from bottles. Support your children by collecting the milk tops off empty milk bottles, showing them how to give them a quick rinse, let them air dry, and then encourage your children to bring them into school in a reusable container or bag that can be emptied into the collection bin.
Do we need to wash the milk tops?
Yes please! Milk residue can get a bit stinky, so please take the time to rinse and air dry your caps before placing them in your collection bin.
Where do the collected milk tops end up?
Following the challenge, we will be sending the milk tops to Egmont Refuse & Recycling Ltd in Hāwera which shred the tops on-site and sell the chip to local and international fabricators.
Is there a prize for the school who collects the most caps?
Yes, of course! The winning school in South Taranaki will be announced at the end of the challenge. There will be three prizes $1000, $750, $500 for the South Taranaki schools that collects the most lids per student which can be spent on sports equipment, stationary, library books, art supplies etc. it’s the winning school's choice!
