CIRCULAR LIDS

What products are made from the recycled lids?

What is Polypropylene?

PP #5 plastic is strong, durable, resistant to fatigue and heat. It has a wide range of applications in the medical industry as well as food packaging, such as ice cream containers, medicine containers and bottle lids.

When treated correctly, PP is fully recyclable. Any broken parts, end of life stock or production errors are simply chipped down and re-fed into the next production run. This is why Method uses pure PP in its manufacturing process, by not incorporating other kinds of plastic or adding excessive overlays they ensure the bins remain fully recyclable. This is why the market value for PP continues to grow, and increasing numbers of recyclers are collecting it.

Another notable reason Method selected #5 PP is due to its strength and durability. Method injection moulds it’s bins meaning they can achieve a relatively thin bin base, while still withstanding years of use and the weight of at least 60 kgs of waste on any given day.

Method Bins – Using Recycled Plastic

In 2019 alone Method utilised over 26 tonnes of recycled materials in production

Method often gets asked why they manufacture bins out of polypropylene (#5 PP). They looked at material selection very seriously and considered all material and production techniques from stainless steel, to bioplastics – but they couldn’t find a material that matched #5 PP for strength, durability and recyclability.

Many organisations are doing great work using recycled materials that use a mixture of plastic types, but Method wanted to ensure that their products were still fully recyclable at the end of their life, which most often isn’t possible with mixed sources of plastic. Method Bins are fully recyclable and at the end of their (long) life, so they can become bins again and again in a circular fashion. Learn more about Method's Product Stewardship here.

The recycled materials that Method uses are all sourced locally in Aotearoa including the kerbside collections in Whanganui and Christchurch and some from our friends at Aotearoa NZ Made. These materials often include:

• 1 Litre yogurt containers

• 2 Litre ice cream containers

• Car bumpers

• Buckets

• Car wheel covers

Method believes its important to use plastic in a considered, circular and responsible way, moving away from single-use packaging and products where we can.