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.”
Collectors will be awarded with two cents for every pouch they collect, and once they’ve collected $10 across any of TerraCycle’s programmes, they can donate the funds to their favourite charity or school.
Visit
www.terracycle.co.nz/little-yoghi to sign up and obtain further information on the programme.
TerraCycle has already kept more than four billion pieces of food and beverage packaging and other waste from going to the landfill, and with its partners, donated over $15 million to charity and schools through its various programmes. TerraCycle is currently creating solutions for other difficult to recycle, but widely discarded, waste streams such as cigarettes and used chewing gum.
About Raglan Coconut Yoghurt
Raglan Coconut Yoghurt is a Raglan, New Zealand-based brand that has become a familiar favourite in the coconut yoghurt market. Its yoghurts are full of probiotics, free from dairy, gluten, refined sugar, preservatives, nuts, gums and GMOs, and are paleo and beegan. Plus, they’re 100% locally produced in Raglan using honey from local beehives around Mt Karioi.
Both Raglan Coconut Yoghurt’s full-size Yoghi products and Little Yoghi pouches come in varieties such as Natural Greek-Style, Mango & Turmeric and Blackcurrant & Heilala Vanilla, as well as a new Banana flavoured Little Yoghi.
About TerraCycle
TerraCycle, Inc. is an international recycling organisation that engages the community to collect ‘unrecyclable’ and difficult-to-recycle packaging and products, and turns them into innovative eco products. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste.
TerraCycle works with over 110 of the world’s largest consumer goods brands to collect 75 different waste streams, including coffee capsules, toothbrushes, chewing gum and even cigarette waste.
TerraCycle operates in 20 countries and has over 60 million people participating globally in its programmes to collect waste. Internationally TerraCycle has diverted almost 5 billion units of waste from landfill and paid over $15 million to charities and schools.