The small Victorian town of Romsey has started trialling a new soft plastics recycling program that removes the need to go in-store to give old plastic bags and packaging a second life.
Every fortnight, residents and businesses can put their used soft plastics into an orange bag supplied by Macedon Ranges Shire Council, then place it inside the yellow recycling bin for kerbside collection.
From there, the material makes a 100-kilometre journey from Romsey to a processing site in Dandenong, Melbourne, where it is separated from regular recyclables and transformed into crude oil for reprocessing back to plastic.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is piloting the program in partnership with the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFCG).
The AFCG is also leading a soft plastic recycling trial in South Australia.
The start of Romsey's 12-month trial comes as the fallout from the collapse of REDcycle continues.
Last week, Victoria's Environment Protection Authority found 3,000 tonnes of soft plastics in Melbourne warehouses, as it continued to investigate the halted recycling scheme.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council director assets and operations Shane Walden said the commencement of the small "bag-in-bin" trial in Romsey was "fortuitous".
"The trial rolled out just at the right time," Mr Walden said.
Hopes scheme will be expanded
The council will be collecting data during the trial to determine whether the initiative has the potential to become a permanent part of its recycling program.
"We hope within six months we'll be able to see whether it's been successful or not," Mr Walden said.
The volume of soft plastics collected and the reliability of processing in Dandenong will be among the key metrics used to measure the success of the pilot.
If deemed a hit, Mr Walden said he was hopeful the scheme would quickly be expanded to more towns.
"It could fill the gap from REDcycle no longer providing their service," he said.
Embracing the bag-in-bin trial
Valerie Stannard, a Romsey resident of nearly 70 years, has embraced the trial since it kicked off in November.
Ms Stannard, who lives with a disability and has trouble walking, said it was more convenient having soft plastics collected from the kerbside, instead of travelling into a store to drop them off.
"It's so easy," she said.
"We've got to leave a legacy to the kids. If we don't do something now, we won't have anything to leave."
