Soft Plastics - the Endless Pandemic
Soft plastics are found everywhere we go. It’s in almost every household, in nature and in most industries like retail, health, and construction.
Unfortunately, Australia is a leading contributor of soft plastic production.
Australians generate more
single-use plastic waste per capita than any other country.
Let’s look at the hard facts:
Approximately more than 70 billion pieces of soft plastic are used by Australians per year.
Each year, every Australian - on average - uses 45 plastic produce bags; according to a 2021 report commissioned by the Australian government.
Soft plastics are hard to recycle as they absorb residues from food, grease and other substances; causing contamination and a reduced likelihood of materials being recycled.
Now, let’s look at the solutions:
With Greater Sydney’s landfill capacity expected to be exhausted by 2030, the NSW Government has awarded 3 projects $1.25 million to tackle plastic pollution.
Supermarket drop offs for soft plastics are making a temporary comeback and are already operating in over 120 stores across Sydney, Melbourne and parts of regional NSW.
Councils are providing doorstep collection schemes in select suburbs with a number of organisations - including us!
We’re currently working with 29 progressive councils and over 1,700 businesses to reduce the number of items in landfill and keep them in circulation.
How do we get rid of soft plastics?
We don't just ‘get rid’ - we recycle it responsibly through our vetted recycling partner.
The soft plastics are baled and transported to Victoria where it will be processed.
At the facility, the soft plastics will be shredded so they can be consistently fed into the pyrolysis machine.
The corkscrew conveyor will transport the plastic material into the reactor where it will be broken down down. The plastic will then be converted into feedstock oil.
The feedstock oil will be then sent to a refinery for further processing. It will be turned into resin, which enables it to be turned back into food grade plastic packaging again.
Check out the full process here.
Our Office bin means your soft plastics will be recycled responsibly
We work with businesses from many industries e.g. construction, finance, retail to provide a simple yet effective recycling solution. Our service is customisable and is tailored to your specific recycling needs - whether it be collecting soft plastics, e-waste, textiles and more.
Become the next business with a responsible recycling system.
Check out our Office Pack options here.
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Best,
The RecycleSmart Team.
