Australia’s two biggest supermarket chains say they will take joint responsibility for the enormous stockpiles of soft plastic left after the collapse of a major recycling scheme.
The privately run REDcycle scheme collapsed in November, leaving thousands of tonnes of waste – assumed by consumers to have been recycled – stashed in warehouses across Australia.
When it collapsed, REDcycle was Australia’s largest soft plastics recycling scheme.
But it had faced repeated issues with processing and recycling products returned to supermarket collection points. Issues were compounded by a fire at the scheme’s largest recycling factory.
So far 32 stockpiles of plastic waste have been found in three states – 12,393 tonnes of rubbish consumers thought would have been turned into street furniture, fence posts and the like by now.
The latest four warehouses were identified earlier in February, and it’s possible more are yet to be discovered.
Late on Thursday, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek welcomed the big retailers’ offer, but said more work was needed.
“Australians went to great effort to sort and take their plastics back to supermarkets to ensure they were recycled by REDcycle. I am determined to ensure that this effort was not in vain, and that they can be confident their plastics won’t go to landfill,” she said.
“Today’s announcement from Woolworths and Coles to responsibly manage the stockpiles is a big step forward. It will mean a lot to all the Australians who took the time to return their plastics for recycling – their efforts have not gone to waste.”
Ms Plibersek said the Soft Plastics Taskforce – which includes Coles, Woolworths and Aldi – would release a plan next week with information about how collection systems would be reinstated across Australia. She described Thursday’s announcement as “a really positive first step”.
Coles and Woolworths told the Nine newspapers late on Thursday that the company behind REDCycle was yet to respond to their offer.
“The retailers’ ability to access and manage the stockpiles will require the cooperation of REDcycle, as the recycling company currently maintains control of the material and its storage arrangements across numerous locations,” the companies said in a statement.
Accepting the offer would mean stockpiled waste would no longer go straight to landfill. But it would not be an ultimate solution to recycling the products.
Meanwhile, REDCycle’s parent company faces numerous court battles over storage of the plastic waste and from creditors alleging unpaid bills.
Three weeks ago, NSW’s Environment Protection Authority ordered Coles and Woolworths to dump some 5200 tonnes of soft plastics that had been sitting in warehouses across the state amid fears of potential fire risks posed by the stockpiles.
NSW EPA chief executive Tony Chappel said the bales of soft plastic were stored from “floor to the ceiling” at the warehouses, blocking entries and preventing “adequate ventilation.
The Victorian EPA has also launched court action.
-with AAP
The post Supermarkets offer to take plastic waste after REDCycle collapse appeared first on The New Daily.
