Over the last few years, you would have noticed a big uptick in people talking about plastic and sustainability, especially single use plastics. So, this poses the question, “How does a plastics-based company fit into the ever-changing environment of reducing plastic?”

We strongly believe here at People in Plastic that making the plastic we distribute sustainable whilst balancing the social, financial and environmental bottom lines of our current customers, is equally as important as protecting the future.

At People in Plastic, we are actively playing our part in helping out Australia’s sustainability. We took an important step down that road by joining the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to help reach Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets. We have already met one of the targets as all of the plastic used and sold by us is recyclable. Most of our products are made from HDPE (No. 2 High Density Polyethylene) and PP (No. 5 Polypropylene) which are readily recyclable into many other different products. In fact, it actually can be more cost effective to produce a new product from recycled HDPE than it is to manufacture using ‘virgin’ plastic (Azo Cleantech, 2012). We also recycle any additional plastic or cardboard that enters our warehouses.

But now the challenge is onto you, our customers. You can help out by doing your bit and not letting what we’ve done go to waste. If you think its time to say goodbye to your PIP product and you can’t repurpose it for something else, think about how you can recycle it. Whether that is through the good old recycling wheelie bin or through a recycling plant.  If it’s in the too-hard category, you can check out one of our supplier’s VIP sustainability program, through which they can help you recycle some of those trickier items.

By making sure our practices are as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible and through helping make all our products recyclable, we as a plastics company keep up with the ever-changing world of environmentally friendly plastic. If we all do a little something, combined it can make a big impact overall.

This is how as a plastics company we can fit into a sustainable world.