The national consumer watchdog has announced plans to approve a new soft plastics recycling scheme.
The program, run by a new not-for-profit governed by supermarket executives, will collect items such as shopping bags and food wrappers discarded by consumers.
Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi have been named as initial partners.
The initiative comes two and a half years after the collapse of the previous soft plastics recycling program REDcycle.
However, some experts are warning that plastic recycling is a “fallacy”.
SPSA
Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia (SPSA) was established last year as an “independent, not-for-profit entity”.
Its board includes executives from Coles, Woolworths, and Nestlé.
Earlier this year, it submitted a proposal to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to develop and manage a new soft plastics recycling scheme.
According to the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, 6% of the 540,000 tonnes of soft plastic packaging used in Australia between 2022 and 2023 was recycled.
Scheme
The first phase of the scheme will apply a levy to brands and retailers, calculated based on the amount of plastic they produce.
Funds raised through the levy will pay for collecting, sorting, and processing soft plastics. SPSA plans to establish both drop-off points at supermarkets and kerbside collection.
SPSA then proposes to use different recycling techniques to convert plastic waste back into packaging, to be used and recycled again.
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REDcycle
The initiative follows the collapse of REDcycle, Australia’s previous national soft plastics collection program, which halted operations in November 2022.
The company flagged challenges, including reduced processing capacity, partly due to a fire at one of its partner facilities.
In February 2023, REDcycle was declared insolvent and liquidated.
SPSA response
SPSA welcomed the ACCC’s planned approval, describing it as a “major step forward”.
Co-CEO Barry Cosier said the scheme is “not just a collection program, it’s a whole-of-supply-chain solution”.
In a statement, SPSA said it had “committed” to helping pay to process plastics left over from REDCycle warehouses.
Industry
Dr Nicholas Chartres from the University of Sydney told TDA “the idea that we can actually recycle plastic is a fallacy.”
He warned against prioritising waste management and recycling to reduce plastic pollution.
Instead, Chartres said “capping and reducing plastic production” and banning plastics that contain toxic chemicals are more effective.
The world can’t “recycle our way out of this problem,” he said.
