Massive change coming to supermarkets as ACCC green lights new recycling scheme
The new scheme is an ‘important stepping stone’ to reduce the rising levels of soft plastics, following the 2022 collapse of the recycling scheme REDcycle.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has proposed a new grant for a voluntary soft plastics recycling scheme, almost three years after the collapse of the REDcycle scheme.
Run by the Soft Plastics Stewardship of Australia (SPSA), the scheme will re-encourage shoppers to collect and recycle soft plastics such as shopping bags and food wrappers.
In November 2022, Melbourne-based recycling program REDcycle collapsed after it was revealed hundreds of millions of soft plastics went unrecycled, instead stored inside warehouses.
The ACCC previously engaged a trial with major supermarkets as part of the Soft Plastics Taskforce to remove the stockpile of soft plastics intended for REDcycle.
More than 120 stores across Australia have launched in-store collection of soft plastics, which will be in place until July next year.
Supermarkets including Aldi, Woolworths and Coles, as well as food companies Nestle, Mars and McCormick Foods have signed up as initial members of the scheme.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said it was “clear that many Australians are concerned about the environmental impacts of soft plastic packaging and want to recycle it”.
“We believe the proposed scheme will result in an environmental benefit as it aims to take over and expand the current in-store collection and kerbside pilots for recycling soft plastic packaging, meaning some soft plastics are likely to be diverted from landfill,” he said.
“While we know that soft plastic recycling has faced many challenges in Australia, we consider that the SPSA scheme is an important stepping stone to expanding collections and recycling.”
Originally published as Massive change coming to supermarkets as ACCC green lights new recycling scheme
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