Tamworth Regional Council launches 'Curby Program' for soft plastic recycling, partnership with Sydney-based IQ Renew

In partnership with Sydney-based recycling company IQ Renew, Tamworth Regional Council has announced a new digital, home-based recycling option for residents.

The Curby Program hopes to free up space in red bins by asking residents to sort their soft plastics, which include things like confectionary and chip bags, bubble wrap, pasta bags and newspapers, into specially marked plastic bags before placing them in the yellow bin.

Tamworth Regional Council mayor Russell Webb said Tamworth would be the first regional centre in the state to adopt the program, which launched on Thursday.

"Ninety-four per cent of soft plastics go to landfill and that's not good enough, we have to stop that from happening," he said.

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"We're creating an opportunity for our residents to recycle in a better and more sustainable way."

The opt-in program will require residents to download the CurbyApp onto their smart phones to register.

Special stickers, that will include QR codes, will be placed on the bags and will then be posted out. The specially marked bags are to be placed in the yellow bin for collection.

Once the bags are collected by council staff, Cr Webb said the waste would be sent to a $13 million facility in Somersby on the Central Coast, where it will be processed.

The cost of the program is included in household waste rates.

Cr Webb said the waste depot located in Tamworth did not have the capacity to recycle soft-plastics and it was not on council's agenda to pursue this in the future.

"There has been no ability to recycle soft plastics," he said.

"Now we have that ability, we now have that in front of us."

The soft plastic recycling announcement comes as council officially took over the operation of the city's Material Recycling Facility from disability support provider Challenge Community Service, on Thursday.

The facility provided work for 38 staff with disabilities.

Cr Webb said council is "working very closely" with Challenge to secure other employment.

Before getting the tick of approval, council manager waste and resource recovery Morne Hattingh said the Curby Program was trialled among council staff for nine months.

"We have received so many calls from people in the community who are interested in the program," he said.

Mr Hattingh said despite needing a smartphone to take part in the program, he was not concerned this would affect the uptake.

"One of the issues they [IQ Renew] had three years ago when they tried to launch a similar program, was no one knew what a QR code was," he said.

"One thing COVID did for us is, we are all QR code experts, that's why this program is now so successful."

Through the app, residents will be able to track the location of their soft plastic waste as it heads to the Central Coast.

Residents are able to opt-in to the program from December 1.

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