Ballarat Soft Plastics Collection Pilot Program
Join the pilot program
Fill out the form to register your interest to participate in Ballarat Soft Plastics Collection Pilot Program
How to register:
- First you will be prompted to search for your property to ensure you are eligible to participate in the trial, once confirmed this will open the registration form.
- On completing the form you will then receive a confirmation email that we have received your registration to participate in the Ballarat Soft Plastics Pilot Program.
- Following this you will receive notification of acceptance into the program and confirmed location to collect your City of Ballarat supplied orange bags.
Start recycling your soft plastics:
- Fill the supplied orange collection bag with soft, scrunchable plastics that are empty and dry.
- When the bag is full and tight like a basketball, firmly tie with a double knot.
- Place your full and tied orange bags in the yellow-lid recycling bin. This may be monthly or even longer, depending on when the bag is full.
You can only use the supplied orange issued bags, all other bags will be considered contamination and will end up in landfill. Never place loose soft plastics in your recycling bin as it can become litter, and can jam and damage collection trucks and recycling machinery.
Soft plastics that CAN be recycled
- Scrunchable soft plastic packaging that easily folds in your hand
- Empty and dry big bags from pet food and mulch
- Bags for food such as chips, bread, cereal and sweets
- Film wrapping like bubble and cling wrap
- Soft plastics that have any of these numbers – 2, 4 and 5
TIP: Look for the old REDcycle logo and/or the Australian Recycling Label (ARL) “Return To Store” or “In-store Drop-off” logo. These items can be included in your bag.
Note: This pilot is not connected to REDCycle
Soft plastics that CAN NOT be recycled
- Any rigid containers, such as bottles, cans, takeaway containers
- Remove all small parts – no lids, bread tags, desiccant sachets, straws or balloons
- No compostable or degradable plastics or products with the labels 1, 3, 6 or 7
- No dirty or wet plastics and no food residue.
TIP: Your soft plastics collection bag is going to Australian manufacturers to make high quality products, so please ensure they only get clean and dry soft plastic.
More information about the pilot program
When will the pilot program begin?
The pilot in Ballarat is now rolling out with the special orange bags able to be placed in the yellow-lid recycling bin from July 2024.
I do not live in the City of Ballarat, can I still participate?
Unfortunately if you do not live within the City of Ballarat municipality, or other participating municipalities, you are unable to take part in the pilot at the moment.
This will change as we learn how to best collect and recycle soft plastics at scale.. It’s important we get things right and don’t overload the system during this time.
What are ‘soft plastics’? What materials am I allowed to put in my orange collection bag?
Soft plastics are ‘scrunchable’ plastics. We want all your clean, dry soft plastics such as bread bags, confectionary wrappers and dog food bags, placed into the specially designed orange bag, then popped into your yellow lid kerbside bin. Be sure to keep placing your other recyclables loose in your bin as you’ve always done.
Can I provide feedback and ideas on the program?
Yes, you can.
During the pilot, the City of Ballarat will invite you to complete some surveys. We look forward to hearing your views on how we can improve the program.
Why do I have to put my soft plastics in the 'supplied orange collection bag'?
The people and machines at your local recycling facility cannot sort thousands of bits of loose soft plastics, it’s much easier for soft plastics to be contained in a clearly identified supplied orange bag.
The bag is designed to work perfectly in the facilities, so they can easily identify, sort and recycle them. This is the only bag they will accept, keep your soft plastics in the bag and your other recyclables loose in your bin.
What will my soft plastics be made into?
We expect a portfolio of recyclers and products from the collected plastics, including mechanical and chemical recycling options. Advanced chemical recycling breaks plastic down into oil that can be used to make food-grade soft plastic packaging, reducing the use of virgin materials, and creating a truly circular soft plastic supply chain. Other products also in scope with our partner companies include mechanically recycled products such as the orange bags, garbage bags, fence posts, asphalt, and concrete additives.
Why are you encouraging me to fill my collection bag tight before I put it in the bin?
There are lots of reasons. Full bags are easier to sort at the recycling facility, they are more efficient by using less plastic, less bags means lower costs and lower environmental impact. So, put your special bag out when it’s full and tight like a basketball, not necessarily every bin cycle. Each bag can hold up to 1kg of soft plastic!
What happens at the end of the pilot program?
Throughout the pilot, councils, recyclers, brands, governments and all our partners will be collecting data and information on what works and what can be improved to inform the next phase to grow the program.
You can contribute via surveys from the City of Ballarat during the pilot phase. All this valuable information will help create the best national roll-out plan for recycling of soft-plastics.
My bins are overflowing, costs are rising and it's hard to change habits. How will this program help?
We have tried to make your recycling as easy and low cost as possible and we want this to work for a more sustainable future. The orange bag collection can help you save space in your general household waste bin. Reducing the amount of waste going to landfill will help limit future increases in waste charges.
Are the recycling companies and the program reliable? Who is involved?
The program is being set up by the Australian Food and Grocery Council, in conjunction with a range of stakeholders including retailers and brand owners. The scheme was designed leveraging global best practice including taking insights from Europe, and has utilised funding from industry and the Australian Government.
The new orange bags are made locally by Fasa Plastics in Melbourne from 100% recycled Australian plastics. The sorting and recycling activities are carried out by a range of our partners including APR in Melbourne, Cleanaway in Albury, and CAWRA in Adelaide, as well as Close the Loop in Melbourne and IQRenew in Taree. The plastics will be processed into flake, pellets or building substitutes, as well as into oil for renewed plastics by entities such as Viva in Geelong. All councils and companies involved in the pilot are collaborating with agreements in place.
What is a Product Stewardship Scheme?
A Product Stewardship Scheme aims to address a market failure by producers (in this instance the owners of the branded products that use soft plastic packaging) paying the true cost of the packaging they manufacture and put on market, ensuring it gets recycled and does not end up as plastic pollution or waste. Producers pay a levy to a Product Stewardship Scheme administrator who coordinates and funds the scheme to undertake collection, recycling, marketing and other activities.
