Sustainable Enviroment Solutions

Balloon Recycling

We are now supporting an Australian balloon industry initiative to recycle balloons.

We are now able to recycle all latex, foil, and plastic bubble balloons into new products as well as supply other businesses with the recycled materials for their use.

Please support our program to enjoy balloons for generations to come.

Recycling and Sustainability

At Axikem our aim is to make our business as sustainable as possible. We understand that the environment is front and centre in everybody’s minds. We are trying to become more sustainable including becoming part of a balloon recycling program.

Balloonrecycling.com.au has been established to recycle balloons of all kinds including latex balloons, foil balloons and even plastic balloons to give them another life and incorporate them into new and existing products.

For every installation that we complete we will ask all clients to save the balloons. If we are returning to collect framing from our installations, we will pop and recycle the balloons or reuse the balloons if possible.

We have a balloon recycling bin at our store where customers can drop off balloons to be recycled and we are working with Balloon Recycling Australia to make our industry more sustainable so that balloons will be there to enjoy for generations to come.

Here’s how you can recycle balloons responsibly:

1. Deflate them properly: Remove any ribbons or strings, and cut the balloon to prevent it from flying away.

2. Recycle at Axikem.

3. Avoid helium balloons: Helium is a non-renewable resource, so opt for air-filled balloons or sustainable alternatives.

NSW Government Plastics Ban

It’s the end of the road for single-use plastics, including bags, straws, cotton buds, plates, bowls, and cutlery, with a new law banning their use coming into effect next year.

The Plastics and Circular Economy Act 2021 was passed in NSW Parliament meaning a phasing out of single-use plastics from June 2022.

Businesses will be supported in their transition to other products before the phase-outs come into effect. Exemptions will apply to people who rely on particular single-use plastics for disability or health needs.

The NSW Government has established a legislative framework to tackle harmful and problematic plastics through the setting of design standards.

The first design standard has been set for microbeads in cosmetic and personal care items, ensuring microbeads are phased out from 1 November 2022.

The legislation will prohibit the supply of lightweight plastic bags from 1 June 2022. The supply of other items will be prohibited from 1 November 2022, including single-use plastic straws, cutlery, stirrers, cotton buds, plates and bowls, and expanded polystyrene food service items.

About the plastics bans

On 16 November 2021, the NSW Government passed the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021. This legislation delivers on the government’s commitment to ban certain problematic plastics, such as single-use plastics and address the problem of plastic waste.

Input from over 16,000 people helped develop this legislation and the related NSW Plastics Action Plan. Support for action on plastic waste was widespread with 98% supporting a phase out of single-use plastics.

This legislation provides a comprehensive framework that will help transition NSW towards a circular economy where materials and resources are valued and kept in the productive economy while creating jobs and protecting the environment and the community.

Lightweight single-use plastic bags were banned from 1 June, and from 1 November, the NSW Government is banning further items, including:

single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls (without lids) and cotton buds
food ware and cups made from expanded polystyrene
rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

Future bans

Single-use plastic items not scheduled for phase out remain of concern. However, both Government and industry need to do more work to ensure sustainable alternatives are widely available. We will review further items and the available alternatives by 2024 (3 years from passage of legislation) to determine whether a phase out is appropriate at that time.

The NSW Plastics Action Plan identifies the following items for review, though more items may be added:

plastic bowls (with lids)
plastic cups (including lids)
oxo-degradable plastics
fruit stickers
heavyweight plastic shopping bags
barrer and product bags.

Who does the plastics ban apply to?

A person must not supply a prohibited item in NSW while carrying on a business.

This includes supplying the item while:

carrying on an activity for commercial purposes. For example:
- retail businesses like a restaurant, cafe, bar, takeaway food shop, party supply store, discount store, supermarket, market stall, online store, and packaging supplier and distributor, and any other retailer that provides these items to consumers.
- a manufacturer, supplier, distributor or wholesaler of a prohibited item
carrying on an activity for charitable, sporting, education or community purposes. For example, a community group, not-for-profit organisation or charity, including those that use a banned item as part of a service, for daily activities or during fundraising events.