The REDcycle soft plastics recycling scheme that has been operating at major supermarkets including Woolworths and Coles has been suspended with the company running the program saying it can no longer offload the material to recyclers.
REDcycle advise:
REDcycle regrets to announce that it will temporarily pause its soft plastics collection program from 9 November 2022. REDcycle and its partners are committed to having the program back up and running as soon as possible.
Why is the program pausing?
Consumer recycling of soft plastic has grown exponentially in recent years, with a 350% increase in plastic returned since 2019. However, due to several unforeseen challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, REDcycle’s recycling partners have temporarily stopped accepting and processing soft plastics. This combination has put untenable pressure on the REDcycle business model.
What should I do with my soft plastic now?
For the short term, consumers are encouraged to put their soft plastics in their home rubbish bin Please do not put it in your home kerbside recycling bin (unless the Curby program is available in your area) as it is not recyclable in that system.
How long is the program paused for?
We can’t confirm at this stage the length of the pause, but we can assure you that all stakeholders are working on solutions for the short-term pipeline imbalance.
REDcycle and retail partners are committed to having the program back up and running as soon as possible.
Since REDcycle launched 10 years ago, Founder Liz Kasell wanted to do the right thing for the community and for the planet. She started this program, as a mum from her kitchen table as when looking at a bag of peas and she asked why on earth can’t this be recycled? Through this program her goal has been to enable and empower people in the community, just like her, to make a positive impact on the environment. Since we started, with your support we have diverted 5.4 billion pieces of soft plastic entering landfill and our natural environments.
Please see their FAQS page for more information about this announcement.
