Woolworths expands soft plastic recycling across Australia

Woolworths plans to expand its in-store soft plastic recycling trial from 120 to about 500 stores in the next year. This is a significant increase compared to the previous number. The initiative addresses the large amount of soft plastic waste in Australia. The expansion aims to counter the issues caused by the previous soft plastics recycling failure. Increased collection points will occur in major metropolitan areas. Challenges include limited recycling capacity and the quick degradation of soft plastics during recycling. The Soft Plastics Taskforce, including major supermarkets, collaborates with third-party recyclers. They are working on a long-term industry program. The ACCC has authorized this collaboration until July 2026.