Soft Plastics
Soft Plastics, Big Impact:
Here’s Why Recycling Counts

Australian’s face a significant plastic waste problem. The government’s National Plastics Plan reveals that Australia uses a staggering 70 billion pieces of soft plastics annually — almost 3000 pieces per person. This is a major contributor to environmental pollution and waste, with soft plastics making up around 20% of Australia’s plastic packaging waste.
Recycling soft plastics reduces waste, cuts emissions, and helps meet national recycling targets. It supports a circular supply chain by boosting the availability of recycled content, driving both supply and demand for recycled materials. Together, we can build a sustainable, green future for Australia.
Let’s keep soft plastics in the loop!
What happens to the Soft Plastics?
We’ve teamed up with leading Australian soft plastic processors and offtake partners to make sure your soft plastics are recycled responsibly and sustainably!
IQRenew
Our incredible partners, iQRenew, launched Australia’s only mechanical processing facility dedicated to sorting and processing large volumes of soft plastics. This facility uses innovative technology to separate and recycle your soft plastics into high-quality feedstock for a variety of products.
This facility transforms the soft plastic into three quality product streams, suitable for a range of uses. A-grade materials are perfect for both chemical and mechanical recycling, B-grade materials can be used for manufacturing items like non-food grade films and agricultural products, and C-grade materials are used to create durable products such as park benches and bollards.
For more information visit: iqrenew.com/spec-facility

What can you recycle?
Common soft plastics include:
- Soft Plastic Snack wrappers
- Foil lined Chip packets
- Soft Plastic Fresh produce bags
- Soft Plastic Fruit netting (with the metal bits cut off)
- Soft Plastic Toilet paper wrapping
- Plastic carry bags
- Protective plastic film used in consumer goods packaging
- Dry pet food bags
- Cling wrap
- Any “scrunchable” soft plastics labelled with the 2, 4 or 5 recycling numbers
Unsure if your material is accepted or not? – Simply look up your item in the RecycleMate app or website – https://recyclemate.com.au/
