REDcycle soft plastics collapse (Australia)
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
REDcycle, a soft-plastic collection programme run with the supermarkets Coles and Woolworths, was wound up on 27 February 2023. Reports said it had stockpiled more than 12,000 tonnes of collected plastic in warehouses.
As reported by The New Daily, 27 February 2023, in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Status As of April 2023: REDcycle wound up; the retailers had found 44 stockpile sites in six states; no outcome for the plastic in the record.
- REDcycle — Received payments from the supermarkets, which they said totalled AUD 20 million over ten years. The New Daily
What happened
REDcycle ran a soft-plastic recycling programme with the Australian supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths. Plastic collected through the programme was held in warehouses.
REDcycle was wound up on 27 February 2023. The New Daily reported that it was wound up by a court after it had stockpiled more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic, in secret, in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
On 24 February 2023 The New Daily reported that Woolworths and Coles were taking over the REDcycle plastic. The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years.
In April 2023 the retailers found 44 stockpile sites in six states (AAP, 10 April 2023, as cited in the record).
- 202324 February: The New Daily reports that Woolworths and Coles are taking over the REDcycle plastic
- 202327 February: REDcycle is wound up; more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic reported stockpiled in three states
- 2023April: the retailers find 44 stockpile sites in six states (AAP, 10 April)
How it looked
Shown
- A soft-plastic recycling programme run by REDcycle with the supermarkets Coles and Woolworths.REDcycle, Coles and Woolworths (programme as named in the record)
Recorded
- REDcycle was wound up on 27 February 2023 after stockpiling more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
- The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years.
- The retailers found 44 stockpile sites in six states in April 2023 (AAP, 10 April 2023).
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2023-02-27Outcome not on recordWinding-up of REDcycleCourt (not named in the record) · Civil · → REDcycle
The New Daily reported on 27 February 2023 that REDcycle was wound up by a court over stockpiled plastic. The New Daily
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Court
- Unclear Winding-up of REDcycle: outcome not on record.
Figures
- Insufficient Plastic stockpiled tonnes: Reported but not independently verified: 12,393 tonnes in 32 warehouses in three states, February 2023.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: 12,393 tonnes of soft plastic in 32 warehouses in three states in February 2023 (The New Daily, 24 February 2023).
Did the harm stop?
The record does not say what became of the stockpiled plastic.
Who paid?
The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years; the record does not show who bore the cost of dealing with the stockpiles.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Woolworths, Coles take over REDcycle plasticThe New Daily · 2023-02-24
- REDcycle wound up by court over stockpiled plasticThe New Daily · 2023-02-27
Connected cases
- Australian regulator loses case against Woolworths over biodegradable claim Australia · 2024–2025
- Woolworths (Company) — here: Supermarket partner; took over REDcycle plastic; there: Defendant; won the case