The Ironclad Pan Company, producers of the only New Zealand made range of cast iron cookware, has calculated how many non-stick pans are thrown away every year.
According to them, at least 1,300,020 non-stick pans are thrown away every year, with 66 million pans finding their way to New Zealand landfill over the course of 50 years! The most shocking part? Commercial/restaurant kitchens are not even included in these numbers!
‘One of the many problems with non-stick pans is that they are extremely difficult to recycle,’ says Joe Carter, co-founder of The Ironclad Pan Company. ‘Most recycling companies won’t accept them so they simply get thrown out with the household waste. That is a disaster as the coating remains in the soil for centuries. It often contains PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” because they don’t break down in the environment or the human body.’
Kate Slavin, co-founder and Head of Design of The Ironclad Pan Company, adds that it’s not just the impact on the environment that is a concern. Purchasing cheap, non-stick cookware is also hitting Kiwis in the wallet: ‘If the average budget frying pan costs $30, that’s just over $39 million that is going down the drain in this country every year. In a hundred years’ time, New Zealanders will have thrown away billions and billions of dollars’ worth of non-stick pans. That is based on the assumption that Kiwi households only own one frying pan each. We expect that the real number is much, much higher.’
‘Cast iron lasts for an incredibly long time, which is why we offer a 100-year guarantee on our own pans. Steel is also a good option as it can last for around 50 years, and is 100 percent recyclable,’ says Kate. ‘All we’re asking is that Kiwis consider their options. People sometimes assume that cast iron and steel is expensive, but when you consider the fact that you only have to buy these pans once (versus once every 1-2 years for the cheaper options), the value for money starts to become much more apparent.’
