Hundreds of thousands of unscratched Instant Kiwi tickets are being given a new lease of life as egg cartons, fruit trays, and cup holders thanks to a new recycling initiative.

Instead of heading to the tip, Lotto NZ’s unsold scratchies are now sent to a Huhtamaki plant in Auckland where they’re made into a selection of fibre products.

Lotto NZ’s Principal and Sustainability Manager, Ian Jameson, said Lotto NZ’s biggest source of waste is printed tickets and this initiative builds on several years of progress in recycling and repurposing ticket stock.

“While recycling used tickets remains a challenge due to collection and disposal logistics, there’s an opportunity here to recycle tickets that don’t end up going on sale and would otherwise go to the landfill,” Jameson said.

Lotto NZ - Instant Kiwi tickets turned into Egg Cartons at Huhtamaki plant. Photo / Supplied

Since 2019, Lotto NZ has partnered with specialist providers to recycle the unused tickets in different ways.

The new partnership with Huhtamaki is still in its early stages, but Lotto NZ expects more than 40,000 kilograms of unsold Instant Kiwi tickets to be recycled into fibre-based products each year.

The recycled tickets typically come from games that are withdrawn from sale after all the top prizes have been claimed, although Lotto NZ has begun keeping some games on sale for longer than it used to, which will reduce ticket wastage.

“We are committed to supporting Kiwi businesses and offering a viable home for recycled paper-based materials,” said Huhtamaki’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Cathy Lundie.

“Turning Instant Kiwi tickets into functional packaging creates sustainable solutions that reduce waste and support local businesses.”

Before the tickets arrive at Huhtamaki’s facility, plastic wrapping is removed and recycled separately. This ensures the paper component can be pulped and repurposed efficiently.

The tickets are then mixed with water and mechanically pulped into a fibre slurry, before being cleaned, de-inked, and oven-baked into new fibre-based packaging products.

“Huhtamaki’s local capability and sustainability credentials made them the perfect fit for this partnership.” said Jameson. 

“Recycling in Aotearoa is an important part of our sustainability strategy. Keeping this recycling process onshore reduces the environmental footprint and supports Kiwi manufacturing."