Overview

• The ACCC’s draft determination proposes a voluntary, industry-led national recycling scheme for soft plastics under Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, with stakeholder submissions due in two weeks.
• The initiative aims to replace the failed REDcycle program that collapsed in 2022 after more than 11,000 tonnes of soft plastics went unprocessed.
• A levy on business-to-consumer packaging would finance expanded in-store and kerbside collection pilots, with costs potentially passed on to shoppers.
• Core participants—Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Nestlé, Mars and McCormick Foods—must operate transparently and are barred from exclusive contracts with recycling processors.
• The plan addresses Australia’s historically low six percent recovery rate for soft plastics as authorities seek to divert over 500,000 tonnes from landfill each year.