Macedon Ranges residents are being encouraged to join an expanded council-wide kerbside soft plastics recycling pilot, after an encouraging trial in Romsey.
From Monday July 22 , households can register in-person at a council customer service centre to get a free pack of 20 collection bags.
The pilot program is an expansion of a 12-month trial in Romsey and is part of the development of a proposed national pilot program led by the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) in conjunction with more than 40 household brands.
Residents collect their soft plastic and place in the bags which are put in the recycling bin on collection day.
Soft plastic collected is sent to a specialist processor in Victoria to make new plastic products locally, creating a circular economy.
Macedon Ranges mayor Annette Death said the council welcomes this initiative by the AFGC and is excited to continue this pilot partnership in our shire.
“Soft plastics are currently a big part of our waste to landfill and cannot be efficiently collected for recycling in any other way,” she said.
The Romsey-based trial selected more than 2,200 residents to participate, with a massive 1737 kilograms of soft plastic that would have otherwise gone to landfill recycled.
Work is also underway to better understand which households choose to recycle, and the benefits of different collection methods, while brands continue to work towards the development of a proposed product stewardship scheme.
Details: tinyurl.com/MRSCRecycling
Jaidyn Kennedy
