Soft plastic includes shopping bags, wrappers, films. Lightweight and easily compacted into a ball, it is the most difficult plastic to recycle.
Needs a special collection (like a store drop-off) as the standard plastic recycling machinery can’t handle thin plastic bags. The bags wrap around the machinery blades causing the system to jam.
A separate system of operation is needed. Sorting from the thousands of different types of plastic. Cleaning (it’s often contaminated by food). Shredding to make it more manageable.
Degrades each time is reprocessed, usually becomes unusable after 2-3 times.
More expensive than the production of virgin plastic.
Trendpac’s CEO (W.Dicks) has commented:
“The cost of using recycled soft plastic manufacturing is between 10-30% higher than products made from virgin plastic..”
From The Australian Institute, N.Gbor warns:
“We can’t recycle ourselves out of the plastic pollution problem…recycling soft plastic also poses health risks…Australia should focus on alternative plant-based materials..plastic has toxic chemicals..there’s always the question of microplastics pollution when it comes to recycling soft plastic..
Article from The Guardian on the recycling of any plastic products:
recycling of any plastic product as a false hope, a way of distracting from the ‘Plastics Problem’:
Marketing associated with the recycling industry has been to condition consumers that it is okay to use products that should be avoided and not to use alternative solutions. Soft plastics is one example where its use should be avoided as much as possible - rather than the current approach of use it as much as possible hoping recycling is a solution.
An alternate view The Scientific American on the plastics industry pointing at the major global producers being the protagonists?
efforts to deliver more sweeping change hit a wall with the collapse in August (2018) of contentious negotiations on a global plastic-pollution treaty. More than 70 nations had pushed for limits on the amount of plastic produced to reduce the flow of waste into the environment. The industry has lobbied heavily against such caps, arguing that improved waste management and recycling are the solution, even though only a small percentage of plastic is currently recycled and many types cannot be recycled by conventional means.
To suggest that petrochemical derived plastics are the next “asbestos”. Consumers are still paying the cost of collection and disposal of products dating back more than a century containing asbestos, and for some in health. Too little too late in hind sight.
Amongst the major players:
SABIC (Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation) Annual Production Capacity: Exceeds 60.8 million metric tons across 60 global manufacturing sites.
Some years past, I remember seeing a TV documentary program (I can’t find it, so I can’t link) about plastics in America. Included were interviews with former very senior plastics industry executives, recycling executives, etc.
Plastics containers were very trendy when they first arrived on the market. Gradually their popularity declined and sales dropped off (in the ‘60s?); and the US Government was talking about regulating plastic usage.
To counter this, the plastics industry got together and devised the recycling scheme. They worked out the different categories of recyclability for the different types of plastics. When devising the categories, they well knew that some of the plastics were only ‘potentially recyclable’ and at that stage there was no technology to do it, or it was not financially viable to do it. None-the-less at some time in the future these plastics may possibly be recycled. The industry marketted this concept of recyclability and used lobbyists to sell the concept to the Government.
The marketting campain resulted in a resurgence in the sales of plastics. The US Government then stopped trying to regulated the plastics industry. The plastics industry has continued to lobby and maintain it’s pressure on the US Government to not move against plastics and to shift the blame for pollution onto users; à la tobacco industry.
Australian plastics industry has seemingly followed its US counterparts’ lead. We have even less ability to recycle the wide range of plastic types being used due to our relatively small size.
It will require Federal and State Governments to legislate to eliminate the excesses of plastics we are currently suffering from.
In regional Victoria. Limited income. Age pensioner. 95% of my shopping done at Aldi, Coles and Woolworths. Council has the soft plastic recycling scheme going. I fill the orange bag very quickly with pet food sachets, large dry pet food bag, film from meat products, chips, sweets, bread bags, fruit film, frozen foods and other miscellaneous plastics. Our supermarkets no longer have a deli counter or butcher. All products are in plastic. Good for transport, conformity of product, longevity on shelves and ease of packing on shelves. Many residents still do not understand how to sort household rubbish and it ends up in landfill (good for methane?).
As noted from other comments, its a huge scam. But no one powerful enough (or rich enough) wants to call it out. Recycling, halve waste etc employs many many people.
China has built massive garbage collection factories that produce electricity for thousands of residents. I assume most toxic garbage emissions must be filtered out.
Finally, tonight (17 Jan) SBS Viceland at 8.30 - programme - Plastic People: Crisis of Microplastics.
From the informations available it seems to be such a waste of time and effort to recycle soft plastic: Soft plastic degrades badly and often virgin plastic needs to be added, but even then it can only be recycled a few times. The average life span of a single use plastic bag is 12 minutes! After taking all that trouble it ends up in landfill anyway.
Personally, I can’t see why all supermarkets etc only use compostable bags/wrapping or cardboard for all packaging.
Maybe Choice could advocate for this? Also for the government to put pressure on all manufacturers to only use compostable packaging for their products eg cereals, biscuits, frozen foods etc.
I only use certified compostable cling film, bags or paper at home. I also take glass containers for shops to put any meat, chicken or seafood items I purchase.
Thank you @DPom
Home compostable bags can be a sensible alternative made from plant based materials, a lot more expensive at the moment but technology is catching up. Still problematic with ‘Disposal’.
The product should be made in accordance with the certification by the A/NZ standard, AS5810 Logo (AS4736 are the industrial compostable bags)
Basically single use, not recyclable.
Dispose:
Own backyard compost pile.
FOGO bin (check with Council). Not recyclable.
Landfill last resort.
Disposal problems:
AI Overview
..compostable bags often contaminate FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) bins because most commercial processing facilities can’t break them down fast enough, seeing them as plastic contaminants that reduce compost quality, so councils usually provide or recommend specific, certified lime-green bags (AS4736 standard) or advise using no bags/paper, as non-certified bags end up in landfill. Why They’re a Problem: Processing Limitations: FOGO facilities use different conditions (like pasteurization) than home composters, and many “compostable” bags don’t break down quickly enough.. Sorting Difficulty: Sorters can’t always tell them apart from regular plastic bags, so they’re often removed and landfilled. What to Do Instead:
Use Council-Supplied Bags: Many councils provide free, certified compostable bags (often lime green) that are guaranteed to break down.
Go Bag-Free: Use a kitchen caddy (like an old ice cream container) and empty food scraps directly or wrap them in newspaper or paper towel.
Look for AS4736: If you buy your own, ensure they are certified compostable and carry the Australian Standard AS4736 symbol.
Check Your Council: Rules vary, so always check your specific council’s website.
In a landfill compostable bags behave poorly; lacking the oxygen, moisture, and microbes of a compost facility, they don’t break down as intended, often just getting “mummified” or taking decades, while contributing to methane (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions from the food waste they often contain. This leads to them polluting landfills like conventional plastics, and they contaminate regular plastic recycling, making them a significant problem for waste management. Why Compostable Bags Fail in Landfills Lack of Oxygen (Anaerobic Conditions): Landfills are sealed to contain waste, creating oxygen-poor (anaerobic) environments. Compostable bags need oxygen (aerobic conditions) to fully break down into natural substances like water and carbon dioxide. No Ideal Microbes: The specific microbes needed for composting aren’t abundant in landfills, slowing decomposition significantly. Low Moisture & Heat: Landfills lack the consistent moisture and high temperatures of industrial composters that facilitate breakdown. Negative Impacts in Landfills Methane Production: When organic waste (like food scraps) decomposes anaerobically alongside the compostable bag, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2, worsening climate change. Contamination: They contaminate traditional plastic recycling streams because they have different properties, potentially ruining entire batches of recyclable plastic. Persistence: Instead of breaking down quickly, they can persist for long periods, similar to conventional plastics, often just getting stuck and preserved. The “Right” Environment For compostable bags to work as intended, they must reach a commercial composting facility with the right heat, moisture, and microbial conditions, breaking down in 90-180 days. Without this, they become an environmental liability, not a solution.
All the compostable bags I get from local supermarkets and other businesses are AS4736 certified. I always check for this standard and an accompanying statement they are certified industrial compostable
I think that in Tasmania we are even more marginalised when it comes to options for issues that affect the environment. The state government has only recently reintroduced deposit return legislation that offers consumers an incentive to return drink containers (with a number of restrictions) for a 10c refund, it has taken many decades of resistance to bring this about. I’m old enough to remember growing up in a cash-strapped household and (hopefully) finding enough Fanta and Coke bottles to put in the kitty for the evening meal. On the disposable plastic bag front, I would be more than happy to contribute via a tiny charge on my grocery docket to some form of environmentally acceptable single-use bag. As it is, I try to buy produce that isn’t swathed in cling-film or a sealed plastic sac, I use brown-paper mushroom bags to contain loose items like green beans, brussel sprouts etc at the checkout, drives the self-serve counters mad as it can’t determine the contents As an addendum to this, Woolworths has only recently begun selling it’s range of Asian vegetables in sealed plastic bags instead of a single rubber band that secured the bunch, how retrograde is that??
Whatever happened to the cornstarch-based grocery bags that rolled out many years ago and disintegrated very quickly wherever they happened to land? Again, I would happy to pay a tiny impost (I seem to recall 4-5c a bag) if these were an option. We have a large inventory of reuseable bags that are used until they fall apart but even they are not necessarily a desirable option despite many being made from cotton etc…
The state government has only recently reintroduced deposit return legislation that offers consumers an incentive to return drink containers (with a number of restrictions) for a 10c refund, it has taken many decades of resistance to bring this about.
Some of the reasons why there was reluctance in Tasmania was:
consumers pay $0.23 extra to get $0.10 back. The cost to run the scheme is $0.13.
other states who have introduced the scheme have found no significant change in recycling rates. It hasn’t also significantly impacted on costs associated with litter management. So in effect currently consumers pay an extra $0.13 per container (assuming containers are returned for deposit) to feel good.
consumers time, effort and costs to return to a deposit location is largely more than the $0.10 reward.
If the containers were sorted into plastic/glass colours and specific plastic types, it could be argued that the cost of the scheme is warranted. This would improve and maximise potential for collected materials to be recycled. But, current schemes don’t sort to this level and sorting is no different to putting containers in a recycling bin.
The packet for the Woolworths Macro Chia seeds I have just opened was fully recyclable - Straight to the Yellow bin! Strong paper. What a nice surprise - It shows they can return to the way it used to be. So long as they’re not cutting down old-growth forests to wood chip for paper.
I suggest you go to the ABC website or app and find “Nightlife” program podcasts - there was an excellent one hour discussion about exactly this issue on 21 jan 2026. Recycling is a work in progress - as this podcast helps explain, there are good and bad players in the recycling industry here in Australia, and the technology to reuse plastic (rather than import virgin plastic) is a valuable service to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfill. It is wishful thinking to expect plastics to disappear anytime soon, but if we are smart and focused, we can substantially reduce their use and ensure that used plastic is recycled. P.S. I’m just an interested bystander, not part of the plastics industry or the recycling industry.
Experience of self contained appartments in various regions of Japan.
Up to 5 bins in the kitchen, and possibly one just for food waste. Bulk items, and hazardous such as used batteries also provided for. The exact requirements are specific to each municipality and can vary. Burnables including waste such as disposable nappies, expected to be scraped clear of unwanted waste to the Toto.
One is expected to ensure any plastic wastes that have the plastics recycling label are cleaned of food waste and placed in a seperate bin/bag. Japan going all out for packaging has ensured nearly every plastic item has this code. There is a unique symbol for this, and hopefully a similar one on the collection bag which may also be colour coded to remind one which bag is for which items. Not all items of plastic are further coded by type or class of plastic. Apparently the collected recyclable plastics are further sorted after collection. Around half go to “thermal recycling”. IE are used as fuel and burnt!
There is also a bag for clean cardboard and paper, seperate to dirty which will go to burnables. Plastics without a recycling symbol plus any contaminated paper, etc also go in a burnables collection bag. So more “thermal recycling” as some describe it.
As an addendum to this, Woolworths has only recently begun selling it’s range of Asian vegetables in sealed plastic bags instead of a single rubber band that secured the bunch, how retrograde is that??
