Supermarket brings back soft plastics collection points
A supermarket giant says its scheme to collect and recycle soft plastic packaging from consumers is available in 700 of its stores across five states.
www.inkl.comHere’s the latest on Woolworths soft plastic recycling:
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Woolworths has restarted its in-store soft plastics collection points across more than 700 stores nationwide in Australia, extending to five states, after a hiatus. This revival follows strong customer demand and is part of a coordinated effort with industry partners to rebuild local recycling pathways.[3]
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Since the restart, Woolworths has publicly reported that tens of millions of soft plastic pieces have been collected and processed, with estimates around 40 million items (approximately 310 tonnes) to date, demonstrating strong consumer participation.[3]
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Recycled materials are being repurposed locally into store-facing products, including wall panelling and Woolworths own-brand bread bags that now incorporate around 30% recycled plastic content; the program is run in partnership with recyclers such as saveBOARD, iQRenew, and Plascrete.[3]
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The initiative is coordinated under Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia (SPSA), a cross-brand collaboration aimed at restoring and expanding soft-plastic recycling capacity across Australia, with continued emphasis on increasing processing capacity to meet demand.[1][3]
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Industry coverage notes that facilities like iQRenew’s new NSW site (capable of processing up to 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics annually) are central to increasing local processing capacity, aligning with Woolworths’ goals and partnerships to keep recycling local.[1]
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News outlets have highlighted the broader context: the restart is part of a move toward a nationally coordinated stewardship model for soft plastics in Australia, and retailers view customer advocacy as a key driver for continuing and expanding the program.[1][3]
If you’d like, I can pull a concise summary with the exact figures by state and provide a short timeline of milestones from the restart. I can also fetch the latest statements from Woolworths’ official newsroom for the most current updates.