Overview
- Woolworths has installed soft-plastic collection bins in about 700 supermarkets across five states after a trial proved shoppers wanted the service back.
- Since the trial began in February 2024, the program has taken in an estimated 40 million pieces of packaging, or roughly 310,000 kilograms, according to the company.
- Coles and Aldi are also adding in-store drop-off bins, giving households more places to return wrappers that cannot go in kerbside recycling.
- Recyclers iQRenew and saveBOARD are turning the collected plastic into products such as wall panels and boards, with iQRenew’s NSW plant able to process 14,000 tonnes a year and some Woolworths bread bags now using 30% recycled content.
- An industry task force says it expects to clear the remaining REDcycle warehouse stockpile by the end of next month as more manufacturers take in the material.