The campaign has seen KitKat launch a limited edition piece of packaging in Australia with a recycling symbol on the front

Kit Kat give the planet a breakv2_0

KitKat’s limited-edition bars feature a recycling symbol and an explicit call to drop off wrappers at REDcycle collection bins (Credit: KitKat)

The KitKat brand in Australia has launched a recycling campaign called “Give the Planet a Break”, following new research that found some soft plastic recycling misconceptions.

The analysis commissioned by the Nestlé-owned chocolate bar found that while the majority of Australians (80%) show a strong desire to recycle correctly, almost half the nation (48%) are getting it wrong.

To encourage and educate consumers in the country to recycle their soft plastics correctly, KitKat has temporarily replaced its logo on its packaging with a call out to recycle in-store.

Nestlé’s head of marketing confectionery Joyce Tan said: “KitKat is a brand synonymous with breaks.

“Together, we want to work with Aussies to help them ‘Give the Planet a Break’ and recycle their soft plastics right.

“We know Australians have great intentions when it comes to recycling but our research shows that unfortunately over a third of us (37%) either forget to drop off our soft plastics at the supermarket, say we can’t be bothered to take them back to store, or don’t have anywhere to store them at home.

“In order to encourage everyone to recycle right and drop off their KitKat wrappers and other soft plastics at REDcycle collections bins, we’ve turned our iconic pack into a reminder Aussies can’t miss!

“Putting good reminders or systems in place, like stowing your soft plastics in a reusable shopping bag until you go back to the supermarket, will go a long way to helping you recycle more soft plastics – and give the planet a break.”

 

One in four people in Australia unaware they can take soft plastics for recycling, KitKat research finds

The KitKat-commissioned research shows that one in four people are unaware that they can recycle soft plastics such as chocolate and lolly wrappers, while a further 17% are unaware that soft plastics need to be recycled separately from other household recycling.

Alongside this, supporting industry data highlights the significant impact of soft plastics placed in household kerbside bins.

Recyclable soft plastics, which makes up 20% of the volume of household rubbish bins, ultimately end up in landfill when incorrectly placed in the recycling or rubbish bin.

KitKat’s limited-edition bars feature a recycling symbol and an explicit call to drop off wrappers at REDcycle collection bins, located in most major Australian supermarkets.

Doing this could not only help divert them from landfill, but means they can be recycled and used as a valuable resource to make useful items such as benches or fences.