Author: Adam Morton
Thousands of tonnes of soft plastic that was collected and dropped off by supermarket customers, and has been stockpiled since the collapse of a domestic recycling program, could be be shipped to the US for processing. The Albanese government has indicated it would grant an exemption to allow Coles, Woolworths and Aldi to send the plastic offshore for recycling despite a national waste export ban announced by the Morrison government in 2019. The supermarkets have announced they hope to start a new pilot program collecting soft plastic at some sites before the end of the year, but it would depend on first clearing more than 12,000 tonnes across sites stockpiled in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.