To coincide with the launch of its new ‘Little Yoghi’ range of coconut yoghurt pouches, Raglan Coconut Yoghurt has joined up with recycling pioneers TerraCycle to make the pouches nationally recyclable in New Zealand.
Through the Little Yoghi Recycling Programme, New Zealanders simply collect pouches at home, work, school, or at their playgroup, and freepost them to TerraCycle in any used box. The pouch materials are then pelletised and can be used to make plastic goods such as park benches, watering cans and waste bins.
Raglan Coconut Yoghurt has always endeavoured to use recyclable materials in the packaging for its full-size ‘Yoghi’ products. But when the Raglan-based coconut yoghurt brand launched the lunchbox-friendly Little Yoghis, the team realised they needed to find a sustainable solution for used pouches.
“We’re very conscious of health and the environment, and this is reflected through our healthy, fresh products, our community sponsorships, and, of course, our focus on recycling,” says Tesh Randall, co-founder, Raglan Coconut Yoghurt. “As soon as we decided to launch the Little Yoghis, we knew we had to offer our customers an environmentally-friendly disposal option!”
Although increasingly popular with food manufacturers and consumers alike, most pouch packaging is not yet recyclable through standard New Zealand council services.
Jean Bailliard, General Manager for TerraCycle Australia and New Zealand, says the new nationwide recycling programme benefits not only the environment, but the community as well.
“TerraCycle recycles the ‘unrecyclable’ – we look at waste solutions for items that are deemed difficult to recycle, such as yoghurt pouches,” he says. “Our recycling programmes are free to participate in and very user-friendly, and they also allow collectors to raise money for their local school or favourite charity.”
