Until recently, soft plastics could be placed in your yellow-topped kerbside recycling bin.
Now that we understand more about what happens to our plastic waste in China, we advise you to take your soft plastic to a REDcycle bin where we know it is reprocessed in Australia. See more about where and what to REDcycle below.
The REDcycle Program makes it easy for consumers to keep plastic bags and packaging out of landfill.
you collect
- Collect all the soft plastics that you can’t recycle at home.
- Please ensure they are dry and as empty as possible.
you drop
- Drop your soft plastics into your nearest REDcycle collection bin and RED Group will do the rest.
- There are participating supermarkets all around Australia.
REDcycle bins are typically located near the checkout. There are currently a few different types of REDcycle bins in use depending on the store so please ask at the customer service desk if you can’t locate the bin
we recycle
- The collected plastic is returned to RED Group’s facility for initial processing, then delivered to Victorian manufacturer Replas where it undergoes an incredible transformation.
- Replas uses the material as the resource to produce a huge range of recycled-plastic products, from fitness circuits to sturdy outdoor furniture, bollards, signage and more.
the comprehensive list of what to REDcycle
YES PLEASE!
- Biscuit packets (outer wrapper only)
- Bread bags (without the tie)
- Bubble wrap (large sheets cut into A3 size pieces)
- Cat and dog food pouches (as clean and dry as possible)
- Cellophane from bunches of flowers (cut into A3 size pieces)
- Cereal box liners
- Chip and cracker packets (silver lined)
- Chocolate and snack bar wrappers
- Confectionery bags
- Dry pet food bags
- Fresh produce bags
- Frozen food bags
- Green bags (Polypropylene Bags)
- Ice cream wrappers
- Large sheets of plastic that furniture comes wrapped in (cut into A3 size pieces)
- Netting produce bags (any metal clips removed)
- Newspaper and magazine wrap
- Pasta bags
- Pet food bags (chaff/horse/chicken) – both the plastic and woven polypropylene types (but not woven nylon). Cut into A3 size pieces and shake free of as much product as possible
- Plastic Australia Post satchels
- Plastic carrier bags from all stores
- Plastic film wrap from grocery items such as nappies and toilet paper
- Plastic sachets
- Potting mix and compost bags – both the plastic and woven polypropylene types (cut into A3 size pieces and free of as much product as possible)
- Rice bags – both plastic and the woven type (if large, cut into A3 size pieces)
- Snap lock bags / zip lock bags
- Squeeze pouches with lid on (e.g. yogurt/baby food)
- Wine/water bladders – clear plastic ones only
- Please make sure your plastic is dry and as empty as possible.
NO THANKS!
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic containers
- Any rigid plastic such as meat trays, biscuit trays or strawberry punnets
- Adhesive tape
- Balloons (of any kind)
- Biodegradable/degradable/compostable plastics
- Blister packs, tablets and capsule packaging
- Blow up pool, pool toys or beds – plastic or PVC
- Bread bag tags
- Christmas tinsel and Christmas trees
- Cling wrap/Cling film of any kind
- Coffee bags
- Cooler bags
- Disposable food handling gloves of any variety
- Drinking straws
- Film negatives and x-rays
- Fishing line
- Foam or polystyrene of any kind
- Foil / Alfoil of any kind
- Food waste
- Glass
- Laminated materials and overhead transparencies
- Medical waste materials
- Nylon – woven, soft or fishing line
- Paper and cardboard
- Paper post packs
- Plastic/clear vinyl packaging from sheets and doonas etc
- Plastic packaging that has contained meat
- Plastic strapping used for securing boxes and pallets
- Powdered milk packets, made of foil
- PVC
- Rope of any variety
- Rubber, rubber gloves, latex
- Tarpaulins
- Tin cans
- VHS Tape
- Vinyl – any type of vinyl packaging
- Wet plastic materials as mould is a problem for us
- Wine/water bladders – foil based
- Wrapping paper and cardboard, ribbons or bows
Please note that the REDcycle Program has been developed for post consumer household plastic. Participating supermarkets are not obliged to accept large volumes of commercial plastic waste.
Download the what to REDcycle poster here