Australians have long been advocating for a supermarket change, and now Woolworths has announced that soft plastic recycling has finally returned to hundreds of stores across the country. Environmentally conscious shoppers are welcoming the revival of the scheme after the retail giant revealed that the service is now available in 700 stores across five states, years after it was controversially discontinued.
The renewed soft plastics recycling program began as a small-scale trial in five Victorian stores in February 2024 and has since expanded to hundreds of locations, with selected stores in South Australia joining the rollout this week. Since the trial started, Australians have already recycled an estimated 40 million pieces of soft plastic, which equates to roughly 310,000 kilograms, according to Woolworths.
Online this week, Woolworths loyalists praised the move, calling it “brilliant” and saying it was “about time” the program was reinstated. The collected plastics are being repurposed into materials used within stores, including wall panelling, as well as some packaging products such as home-brand bread bags made with 30 per cent recycled content.
How are soft plastics being reused?
This initiative is part of a broader industry effort involving major brands such as Mars, Nestlé, and McCormick Foods through Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia (SPSA), aimed at rebuilding recycling pathways following the collapse of previous schemes.
Woolworths 360 Managing Director Rob McCartney said, “We’re thrilled” to be able to give shoppers the ability “to recycle these materials again.”
“Our customers have continued to advocate for soft plastic recycling,” he said.
“We are proud to partner with innovative recyclers such as iQRenew, which has opened a new facility in NSW that has the capacity to process 14,000 tonnes per year of soft plastics.
“While saveBOARD is transforming soft plastic waste into building materials that we are already using in 170 stores.”
What challenges face soft plastic recycling?
One of the key issues with recycling soft plastics is that they can be recycled only once or twice before their quality deteriorates, limiting their reuse in the same form. Unlike rigid plastics that can be recycled more times, soft plastics, such as shopping bags, plastic wrap, and product packaging, degrade quickly during the recycling process.
It means they must be carefully managed and their recycling systems continually expanded to ensure the process remains sustainable.
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Soft plastic recycling remains vital for reducing landfill waste and supporting the circular economy. Soft plastics account for a significant proportion of plastic waste in Australia — an estimated 538,000 tonnes annually — and without adequate recycling programs, these materials often end up in landfills, contributing to environmental damage.
A full list of stores participating in the soft plastics recycling program is available on the Woolworths website here.
