This picture shows some of the soft plastic discovered in NSW. All of the stockpile in that state has now been processed. Source: AAP

When the supermarket-facilitated REDcycle collapsed in 2022, Australia was left without a soft plastic recycling scheme. Dauntingly, it was also revealed over 11,000 tonnes of material customers dutifully dropped into bins provided by Coles and Woolworths had been hidden away by REDcycle instead of recycled.

So what did happen to that stockpile of soft plastics?

After REDcycle’s failure, Australia’s competition regulator, the ACCC, made the extraordinary decision to allow Woolworths, Coles and Aldi to collaborate and take control of the problem. Ordinarily, supermarkets would be expected to compete, but with reams of plastics continuing to pile up, it issued an authorisation to allow the formation of the Soft Plastics Taskforce, which was charged with improving collection and recycling.

When Yahoo News checked in with the Taskforce in July last year, things were looking grim. It admitted to being "disappointed" that the majority of the soft plastics were still in storage.

But less than a year on, Yahoo can reveal the group is making progress and the 11,000 tonne stockpile has been halved to 5,500 tonnes.

As Woolworths advised Australian customers soft plastics could no longer be dropped off in store, it was able to continue recycling them in New Zealand. Source: Michael Dahlstrom

Two states where soft plastics haven't been recycled

The supermarket members of the Taskforce confirmed all plastics had been recycled around the country except for two jurisdictions.

“Stockpiles have been fully recycled in all states except for Victoria, where processing will be completed by the end of 2025, and South Australia, which will be completed in the first half of 2026,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“From 44 sites across the country, only three remain — two in Victoria and one in South Australia.”

Australia faces bigger soft plastics problem

While soft plastic recycling has continued overseas in countries like New Zealand, since the collapse of REDcycle the process has largely stalled in Australia. For years, supermarkets continued to sell products advertising a defunct claim that packaging could be returned to stores for processing, despite knowing the majority would be directed to landfill.

Trials of soft plastic collection from yellow bins have been completed in select local government areas. And Woolworths has separately been expanding its network of in-store soft plastic recycling, with plans to have 500 in operation within the next 12 months.

While it’s great news that 5,500 tonnes has been recycled, Australia faces a much bigger problem. It produces around 538,000 tonnes of soft plastics annually and it still does not have anywhere near the recycling capacity to deal with a fraction of it.

Those items that are recycled can be made into valuable products, including concrete, an additive for asphalt, wall panelling, street furniture and flower pots.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo News Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/coles-woolworths-aldi-reveal-fate-of-11000-tonnes-of-soft-plastics-two-years-after-redcycle-collapse-040453379.html