A RECYCLING company has agreed to accept soft plastics from Kingston residents in the wake of REDcycle’s collapse.
REDcycle, the recycling scheme which accepted soft plastics dropped off at supermarkets, was officially suspended last November. It cited an inability to offload the plastic it collected as the reason for its suspension.
Last week, Kingston Council confirmed it has signed a deal with APR Plastics to restart a local soft plastic recycling scheme. The deal is not intended as a long-term solution to the soft plastic recycling issue.
Kingston mayor Hadi Saab said the deal would minimise waste being sent to landfill. “We know many people in our community want to do the right thing and were disappointed that they could no longer recycle soft plastics at their local supermarket,” he said. “We’re proud to partner with Dandenong South business APR Plastics to offer a short-term option to make sure plastics are recycled rather than dumped in landfill where they can take up to 500 years to completely break down.
“Landfill space will run out in Melbourne’s south-east and eastern suburbs by 2025, so we must do everything we can to reduce our waste. We can all play a part by reducing, reusing, and recycling. I look forward to working with the other levels of government and our supermarkets to establish permanent solutions.”
Five drop-off points for soft plastics will be established in the Kingston municipality. They will be at the Kingston Council offices in Cheltenham, the Waves Leisure Centre in Highett, the Clarinda Community Centre, the Patterson Lakes Community Centre, and the Aspendale Gardens Community Centre.
Last year, REDcycle blamed its offtake partners for its operating issues (“Supermarket soft plastic recycling scheme suspended” The News 15/11/2022)
Visit kingston.vic.gov.au/softplastics to read more.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 29 March 2023