Following the announcement that REDcycle has temporarily paused its operations, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has come forth to say that it has commenced an independent review of soft plastics recycling.

“After being made aware of the severity of the situation, APCO has commenced an independent review of soft plastics recycling. APCO is committed to working with brand owners, and the packaging, waste recovery and recycling industries to resolve this issue and explore pathways moving forward,” it said.

APCO CEO Chris Foley further mentioned that soft plastic is a challenging packaging material for Australia and we have to get better at managing it.

“This is a short-term glitch in the system largely related to the pandemic coinciding with unforeseen challenges experienced by reprocessing partners. Strong, positive moves for soft plastics recycling are on the horizon – capital investment is happening and capacity will soon be coming through,” he said.

“While it’s disappointing to see the program be put on hold, this is a good opportunity for Australia’s brand owners and the packaging and recycling industries to pause and reset on how we manage soft plastics. 

“This reset will allow Australia to build ongoing sustainable pathways for soft plastic and APCO is working with industry stakeholders to resolve the issue and develop a strong, permanent solution.”