Monash delivers soft plastics recycling option for residents
Published on 14 December 2022
Monash Council has established a collection site for Monash residents who want to continue recycling their soft plastics following the suspension of the RedCycle soft plastics recycling program at Coles and Woolworths.
The collection site, which is for Monash residents only, is operational from Monday 19 December at the Monash Recycling & Waste Centre at 380 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill. The service will be provided in partnership with APR Plastics, a recycling company based in Dandenong
Monash is the first Victorian Council to introduce this option for residents following the RedCycle suspension – ensuring Monash residents can reduce what they send to landfill.
The collection point is expected to be in place until mid-2023, when Council is expecting additional information about more easily accessible soft plastics recycling to be available from government and industry.
Monash Mayor, Cr Tina Samardzija, is pleased Council can offer an option for residents in Monash to recycle soft plastics
Mayor Tina Samardzija tours APR Plastics:
“Monash Council is committed to reducing what our community sends to landfill, and I am pleased we have been able to work with APR Plastics to establish a soft plastics collection point at our Monash Recycling & Waste Centre.
“We acted fast and worked hard to create this option for our residents. While this is a short-term solution which we have been able to quickly implement, I look forward to working with other levels of government and our supermarkets to establish longer term solutions to capture and recycle soft plastics in Australia.
“The Monash community is working hard to reduce what we send to landfill. In November, we collected a record monthly amount of green organic waste for Monash which will be turned into compost for use on Victoria’s farms, vineyards, and community gardens. Diverting soft plastics from landfill is another way we can support this work.
“To our residents who held onto their soft plastics while we worked to implement this solution, thank you – we’ll see you at the Monash Recycling & Waste Centre soon.
“Right across Australia we need to embrace and encourage reducing, reusing, and recycling. Monash Council calls for leadership from other levels of government and our supermarkets on how we do this with soft plastics, as the current system is unsustainable,” said Cr Tina Samardzija.
Frequently asked questions
How do I drop off my soft plastics?
Soft plastics can be dropped at the designated collection point at the Monash Recycling & Waste Centre at 380 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill. Signage will be in place directing people to the collection point.
The centre is open from 7.30am-3pm every day (including weekends) with some closures during the Christmas and new year period (visit Monash Recycling & Waste Centre web page).
What about other collection points?
Smaller drop-off points for soft plastics are located at Monash Civic Centre at 293 Springvale Road, Glen Waverley, and Oakleigh Service Centre at 3 Atherton Road, Oakleigh. Both centres are open 8.30am-5pm, Monday - Friday.
Due to capacity, the sites are for Monash residents only and there is a limit of 1 bag of household soft plastics per visit.
How do I know it is suitable for soft plastic recycling?
A good test is if you can scrunch it into a ball then it can be placed in soft plastic recycling. Please note cling film is not accepted.
What else can I drop at the Monash Recycling and Waste Centre?
A list of what can be disposed of at the centre is available online. While soft plastics can be dropped free of charge, some items require paid disposal.
How much can I drop off?
Monash residents can drop off household soft plastics, but commercial quantities will not be accepted.
What will happen to the soft plastic?
APR Plastics is recycling soft plastics into oil (fuel) which reduces the reliance on overseas markets and supports sustainable practices.
Will the plastics be sorted or held at the centre?
Soft plastics collected at the Monash Recycling & Waste Centre, Monash Civic Centre and Oakleigh Service Centre will be collected by APR Plastics who will then recycle them. Learn more about the work APR Plastics does with soft plastics.
In the past, RedCycle would accept soft plastics with a small amount of paper stickers. Are there any limitations regarding paper stickers for the soft plastics processed by APR Plastics?
What can be left at our collection point is mostly the same as what could have been left at a RedCycle collection point. However cling film is not accepted.
When is RedCycle coming back?
RedCycle has been declared insolvent. A soft plastics taskforce, made up of ALDI, Coles and Woolworths, published a Roadmap to Restart soft plastics recycling in March 2023. The Roadmap proposed a pilot program to re-establish supermarket drop-off sites (at select locations only), with the possibility of launching in late 2023.
The program is likely to launch under a new name.
Check Aldi, Coles or Woolworths for updates on the soft plastic recycling program.