Council brings soft plastic recycling back to Inner West supermarkets
Inner West Council brings soft plastic recycling back to local supermarkets, making it easier for residents to recycle and reduce plastic waste.
www.innerwest.nsw.gov.auHere’s the latest on Woolworths soft plastic recycling:
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Woolworths has expanded and fully reinstated in-store soft plastics collection points to more than 700 stores across five states in Australia as of early May 2026. This marks a major scale-up from prior trials and aligns with a renewed national effort to recover soft plastics locally [source: Woolworths news release and industry coverage from May 2026]. The program continues to emphasize partnerships with local recyclers and SPSA to build a coordinated framework for soft plastics recovery [source: Woolworths news release and Packaging News coverage].
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The renewed program has already processed tens of millions of pieces of soft plastic since its trials began, with materials being recycled into products such as in-store wall panelling and bread bags containing recycled content. Woolworths cites strong customer demand for recycling access and highlights ongoing collaboration with SPSA to broaden the network [sources: Packaging News May 2026 article; Woolworths news release May 2026].
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Background context: Australian retailers have been rebuilding soft plastic recycling networks after the collapse of the REDcycle program. Woolworths helped drive the Soft Plastics Taskforce and SPSA as part of industry-led efforts to restore a nationally coordinated system. Recent announcements emphasize expanding store coverage to make recycling convenient for shoppers [sources: Packaging News 2026 coverage; Woolworths 2023–2025 communications on the SPSA initiative].
Illustration: A Woolworths store with a branded soft plastics bin near the customer entry can help visualize the program’s aim—making recycling as easy as shopping. [image suggestion]
If you’d like, I can summarize regional store counts by state or pull quotes from the Woolworths announcement for citations. Would you prefer a concise state-by-state breakdown or a short timeline of key milestones?
Citations:
- Woolworths expands soft plastics return network and stores coverage (May 2026)[1]
- Woolworths expands soft plastics recycling to 500 stores context (2025)[2]
- Woolworths press release on 2026 soft plastics collection expansion (May 2026)[3]