New soft plastics recycling scheme: What food businesses need to know

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently authorised a new recycling scheme for soft plastics. The Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia scheme is operated by major Australian food and grocery retailers and enables customers to return soft plastics at collection points for recycling. This article covers the impacts for Australian food and beverage manufacturers under the new scheme, how the scheme is likely to interact with APCO and the Australasian Recycling Logo, and lessons from previous attempts at soft plastics recycling.