Silicone recycling
Silicone recycling
We’re a central city drop-off for Munch’s Silicone Send Back programme
Drop your retired food-grade silicone off to us.
About Munch’s Silicone Send Back programme
Silicone Send Back is the brainchild of Anna from Munch and came out of a product stewardship discussion group with other businesses and the Sustainable Business Network. Product Stewardship is about businesses taking responsibility for the products they make and sell so their products don’t end up in a landfill.
Munch is collecting any food-grade silicone from across the country and is organising to have it repurposed here in New Zealand.
Anything that is food-grade silicone can be sent in for the Silicone Send Back project. Many products and utensils used in the kitchen and suitable for food prep are likely to be made of silicone.
Some examples include:
✔️ Silicone baby spoons
✔️ Silicone food covers
✔️ Silicone bakeware
✔️ Silicone spatulas
✔️ Silicone baby bottle teets
✔️ Silicone ice trays
✔️ Silicone wrist bands
❌ We can not accept menstrual cups due to health and hygiene
What is silicone?
Silicone is a polymer mostly made from silica (sand). Food-grade silicone is non-toxic and can withstand heating and freezing without leaching or off-gassing hazardous chemicals.
Silicone is not plastic (or a rubber). Silicone can’t be recycled with plastic and can contaminate plastic recycling that is collected at kerbside.
What happens to the silicone that is returned?
Silicone will be sent to Munch’s processing partner in Auckland. Silicone will be sorted into material that can then be used by product designers. Silicone that is collected in the initial stages of the trial will be used to design special items (like an art installation). When there is a higher volume of recycled silicone material it will be used to make cool new products here in NZ.
For more information about this programme, head to Silicone Send Back.