Sustainability

Collection of Soft Plastic - Take two!

The resumption of soft plastic collection at Woolworths stores is being led by the Soft Plastics Taskforce, a collaboration between Woolworths Group, Coles Group, and ALDI. This initiative was established following the collapse of the REDcycle program in late 2022, which previously managed soft plastic recycling across Australian supermarkets. This effort aims to rebuild consumer trust and address the significant issue of soft plastic waste in Australia.

It's important to note that while the supermarkets are facilitating the collection, the actual recycling is handled by independent third-party companies with specialised expertise in processing soft plastics. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted conditional authorisation for this collaboration to continue until July 31, 2026, allowing the supermarkets to work together on processing existing stockpiles and expanding in-store collection programs.

A small number of Melbourne Woolworths stores are participating in the trial, including - 

Balwyn Woolworths (corner Whitehorse Road and Mangan Street, Balwyn)

Box Hill Woolworths (corner Main & Station Street, Box Hill) 

Burwood Brickworks Woolworths (78 Middleborough Road, Burwood East)

For more information on participating stores and the recycling program, you can visit Woolworths' sustainability page  - 

The collected soft plastics are sent to specialised recycling facilities, where they are processed into new products such as benches, pallets, or recycled plastic that can be repurposed in manufacturing.

For ongoing updates on collection programs and further details on how to recycle correctly, check out the Soft Plastics Taskforce website  - 

Woolworths stores have provided a guide for the soft plastic collections, which is below -