As the task begins to move 2500 tonnes of soft plastics stockpiled across three states,at least 400 tonnes of waste is being sent to landfill.
Not too long ago,cafe customers in Melbourne would get a dirty look if they ordered coffee in a disposable cup. Then came the pandemic,when BYO cups were banned.
Fourteen formerly secret stashes of plastic bags have been found around Australia following the collapse of REDcycle,the company that ran Coles and Woolworths’ signature soft plastic recycling program.
The supermarkets are hoping to restart a soft plastics collection and recycling program by the end of the year but major obstacles remain in meeting that self-imposed deadline,including the domestic recycling capacity and technology.
The company behind Coles and Woolworths’ soft plastics recycling program has been wound up,days after signing an agreement to hand its 124,000-tonne stockpile over.
The offer from the supermarket giants comes with a major caveat that allows them to dump the stockpiles in landfill under certain conditions.
Top names from Australian business and politics have gathered in Sydney to discuss how to tackle the waste crisis.
With the nation failing to reach recycling targets,the government says it is prepared to step in with regulations should voluntary codes fail.
It has been three months since the collapse of the REDcycle program,but no rescue plan has been developed despite the creation of a special taskforce and the availability of $60 million in government funding.
Complain to supermarkets and manufacturers. Re-use where we can and avoid products needlessly packed in plastic in the first place.
The NSW environment watchdog has issued the supermarket giants with “clean-up” orders to remove 5200 tonnes of plastic waste.