Kraft builds bridges to community

Kraft Foods has donated purpose-built outdoor furniture for Melbourne's Westgate Park, made using recycled packaging from The Natural Confectionery Company (TNCC) range and a selection of Cadbury Dairy Milk products.

The company, in partnership with Melbourne-based consulting and recycling organisation the RED Group and retail giant Coles, has donated a much needed footbridge, table setting and bench seats to protect the saltmarsh habitat and one of the state’s rare salt marsh plants.

The donation marks the first collaborative venture between Kraft, the RED Group and Coles since joining the REDcycle program, a recycling scheme that offers Australians an environmentally sustainable alternative to disposing their soft plastic food packaging such as confectionery wrappers, bread and cereal bags in landfill.

Under the scheme, plastic waste is collected from drop off points at selected Coles stores and is then sent to local manufacturers Replas where it is converted into quality recycled-plastic outdoor furniture and other products for Australian communities.

“As custodians of some of Australia’s most loved brands, we have a commitment to environmental sustainability and are delighted to be donating recycled plastic furniture made from our packaging to such a worthy cause,” Kraft Foods corporate affairs manager, Julia Fraser, said.

“We hope that the donation to Westgate Park will be enjoyed by the local community and help to educate Australians about how they can play a part in the recycling of everyday products. The donation we have made here today is the first of many items of equipment we plan to build and give away to parks and communities in need throughout the year.”

The director of development at RED Group, Elizabeth Kasell, said that since the REDcycle program was launched in 2011, the scheme had successfully diverted over 9.5 million units, or 37 tonnes, of shopping bags and food packaging from landfill, providing enough materials to create almost 1,200 park benches.