Recycling or landfill? The mystery of the school lunch trays

Millions of empty school lunch trays could be going to landfill instead of being recycled as promised. (Image: Jacques Steenkamp / BusinessDesk)

Cécile Meier

Thu, 05 Jun 2025

Each day, more than 110,000 recyclable aluminium trays are used to serve meals in the government-funded school lunch programme – and what happens to them next is unclear. Despite official claims that the trays are recycled, experts say that’s unlikely. Sustainability consultant Tracey Creed said cleaning and transporting them for recycling would be “economically unfeasible” at the $3 price per lunch.Both the Ministry of Education and the main supplier, Compass Group NZ, have refused to answer direct questions a...

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