Soft Plastics Collection Trials
CAWRA has been working with the Australian Food and Grocery Council and the Cities of Adelaide, Charles Sturt and Port Adelaide Enfield to trial a new approach to collecting soft plastics for recycling.
The trial tested the use of custom printed plastic bags for residents to fill with soft plastics, then place into their yellow lid recycling bins. Those bags were then pulled out at our recycling facility and sent interstate for recycling.
ONLY soft plastics that are contained within the custom-printed bags can be recycled using your yellow lid bin.
The trial was funded by the companies that make soft plastic packaging, through the Australian Food and Grocery Council.
Funding was also provided by the State Government through Green Industries SA and the 3 participating Councils.
That phase 1 trial is now complete, and the results were very positive:
- Residents liked the convenience of the 'bag in bin' method to collect their soft plastics
- The bags held up well (almost all of them arrived at the recycling facility intact)
- The brightly coloured bags were easily seen and pulled out by recycling workers
- The quality of soft plastics received was good (suitable to be recycled)
A full report on the trial results can be found on the Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia website.
I was in the trial. Can I keep recycling my soft plastics?
Yes, but only if you still have the custom-printed soft plastics recycling bags.
Soft plastics placed loose in recycling bins (or not in the custom printed bags) cannot be recycled.
If you do not have the custom-printed bags, you need to place your soft plastics in your rubbish bin. They will be safely disposed of but not recycled.
What if I was not in the trial?
Soft plastics placed loose in recycling bins (or not in the custom printed bags) cannot be recycled.
If you don't have the correct bags and/or are not an existing trial participant, you will need to place your soft plastics in your rubbish bin. They will go to landfill for disposal.
What's next?
We are working on some further trials, this time testing the use of 100% recycled content plastic custom-printed bags.
Keep an eye on this page for more information on this next trial stage, early in 2025.