REDcycle stops collecting soft plastics

I was extremely disappointed to learn that Redcycle have suspended collecting soft plastics from Coles and Woolworths. For those who may not know, Redcycle was a company that installed bins in large supermarkets into which you could place soft plastics (mostly packaging). Redcyle then arranged for collection and passed them to two companies to turn the soft plastics into recycled products like playground equipment. The first company had experienced a fire and meant they could no longer take the soft plastics. The second company had trouble selling the products they were making – there was no market for the recycled products. This is an example of how our recycling system is not working.

I do everything possible to try and reduce the amount of soft plastics I generate, because every piece of soft plastic has required oil or gas to be burnt, generating emissions. I shop at a bulk food store for staples like flour, rice, dried fruits and nuts, where I use my own containers. I buy fruit and vegetables at the local Farmers Market which means I avoid those annoying plastic stickers you see on fruit in supermarkets and I can use my own bags for most items. I refuse plastic bags if they are offered. 

However, I still end up with soft plastics that I have been placing in bins at Woolworths for as long as the service has been available. These soft plastics primarily come from packaging of items that I buy at supermarkets. Some examples: frozen peas packet, biscuit packaging, mandarin package, chip packet, cheese packet. Some of the packaging (e.g. Tim Tam) actually promote Redcycle as a way of disposing of the outside packaging. 

What do I do now? 

In the short term, I can stockpile the soft plastics until Redcycle returns or another service is provided. This is far better than sending them to landfill, where they can easily blow away and end up polluting our rivers and oceans. If the soft plastics end up in landfill, then they will stay there for hundreds of years as plastic does not decompose.

I can strengthen my resolve to REDUCE the amount of soft plastics I bring home, which is the first and most important step in managing waste (reduce, reuse, recycle). This is an opportunity to relook at what I am buying to see if I can get items without packaging. Can I do without the item? Can I get it at the bulk food stall or Farmers Market? Is there an alternative which has packaging that can be placed in the recycling bin? Is there an alternative which has less packaging?

Supplier responsibility

It seems to me that the big supermarkets have to take responsibility for this as it is the packaging on the products they sell that cause this problem. I rarely see packaging that I can place in my compost bin and know it will decompose. If all packaging was compostable, then the problem is solved through placing the packaging in the compost bin. I wrote to Woolworths asking about when they will implement compostable packaging, but did not get a very satisfactory reply.

It is important that any packaging is home compostable which is different to industrial compostable. If an item is home compostable, it will break down in a home compost bin (as the name implies). If an item is industrial compostable, it relies on the hgh temperatures achieved in an industrial compost bin to break down. 

Until such time as packaging is compostable, supermarkets should take responsibility for ensuring the packaging can be recycled into products that can sell. If supermarkets are serious about reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, then they should make this a priority.

It is also important to call out other suppliers who provide unnecessary plastic packaging. For example, I recently received a pair of jeans (100% cotton) I ordered through Fletcher Jones. The jeans come in a beautiful cardboard box which can be recycled. The jeans are then placed in a plastic bag within the box. I provided feedback to Fletcher Jones on the unnecessary plastic bag, but I have not yet received a reply.