Riverlution Precious Plastic
Riverlution Precious Plastic
Riverlution Precious Plastic is a community-led social enterprise at the Riverlution Eco Hub, in the heart of Riverlution Eco Park. We turn small plastic items that usually end up in landfill into useful, garden-themed products, made right here on site.
What we collect
We take small items made from #2 plastic (HDPE), such as lids, tops, and anything smaller than a yoghurt pottle. Look for the number 2 inside the recycling triangle. Larger items like milk bottles can go in your yellow kerbside bin.
What we make
We shred, melt and press the plastic into new products. We’re starting with recycled plant pots, and we plan to add a new garden-themed product each year as the enterprise grows.
Our team
Courtney coordinates the workshop, with support from our Director.
Robyn is our volunteer collection coordinator. You’ll find her on site most Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Tineke does product making. Come and say hi at the Riverlution Farmers Market on Saturdays.
From late November 2026, we’re also welcoming participants from Hōhepa through a work skills programme, learning hands-on in the workshop.
Where we’re heading
We want to help other groups across Ōtautahi make their own products from recycled plastic, sharing what we’ve learned and supporting them to set up. Our goal is for Precious Plastic to become fully self-sustaining, with every pot we sell helping keep plastic out of landfill and creating meaningful local work.
Other caps, lids and oral care
Caps and lids that aren’t #2 plastic can go in the Caps and Lids Recall Scheme bin next to our drop-off station. These are now sent to Auckland for recycling.
For everything else, see our Community Drop-Off Station page.
Small lids and tops are too small for kerbside recycling, so most of them end up in landfill. We want to change that through community involvement, education and hands-on upcycling, helping people make informed choices about the plastic they use. This work is part of the Riverlution and Richmond Community Garden Impact Strategy.
Drop-off points
To make lid and top recycling easier, we’ve set up collection points across Christchurch, and we plan to add more. You’ll find current drop-off stations on the map below.
Made here, not shipped away
Everything we collect is shredded and remade on site in our container workshop. Keeping the whole process in Ōtautahi avoids the emissions and costs of sending waste elsewhere, and it means your lids come back to the community as something useful.
✅ Save your lids, tops and small plastic items instead of binning them.
🔍 Check for the #2 inside the recycling triangle. That’s the plastic we can remake here.
📦 Drop them at any of our collection points (see the map above), sorted by colour if you can.
🌏 Got lids with a different number? Bring them to the Riverlution Eco Hub anyway, and we’ll send them on to Auckland for recycling.
🪴 Buy from Tineke at the Riverlution Farmers Market on Saturdays.
🙋 Want to help sort and collect? Come and see Robyn at the Hub on a Tuesday or Thursday.
