Life Matters - Separate stories podcast Soft plastic recycling is slowly coming back - will it work this time?
May 26, 2025
Anya Phelan, a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Griffith University, shares her insights on soft plastic recycling challenges. She discusses the failure of the REDcycle program, exposing major issues like stockpiling and market demand. Anya highlights the renewed efforts from supermarkets and government to roll out a new recycling system. Together, they aim to create more collection points and tackle soft plastic overproduction. The conversation also touches on innovative community solutions and the need for sustainable alternatives in packaging.
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Red Cycle's Collapse Insight
- The original Red Cycle program collapsed due to insufficient processing capacity and market demand for recycled soft plastics.
- Stockpiled soft plastics even caused fires, showing recycling needs better infrastructure and solutions.
Need To Reduce Soft Plastic Use
- Recycling alone cannot keep up with the increasing consumption of soft plastics.
- Reducing production and consumption at the source is essential for a sustainable solution.
Challenges Recycling Soft Plastics
- Soft plastics are hard to recycle because they consist of mixed plastics and cause machinery issues.
- Low-value recycled products make the economics challenging for processing.