Greening the Green aims to boost soft plastics recycling

PepsiCo and Clean Up Australia have joined forces, launching the three-year program ‘Greening the Green’ aimed at educating consumers on soft plastics recovery and increasing soft plastics recycling across Australia.

Although the nation’s recycling rate has increased more than 50% since 1996, waste to landfill has not decreased. The Australian Plastics Recycling Survey from 2017–2018 reported that of the 3.4 million tonnes of plastics consumed in Australia, less than 10% was recycled.

PepsiCo has pledged $650,000 to support Greening the Green, which consists of a 12-week program that will see Clean Up Australia, PepsiCo and REDcycle (with support from Replas) partner with 110 local sporting facilities across the country. The program has been designed to improve existing waste management and resource recovery by changing behaviour and providing better waste management resources.

Upon successful completion of the 12-week program, participating sporting facilities will receive equipment made from recycled plastic, such as table settings and benches made by Replas — one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of products made from soft plastics.

The program aims to restore confidence in recycling across the country and support a circular economy for plastics by showing Australians that what they put in the bin can be transformed into items the community can use.

“We are thrilled to partner with Clean Up Australia and REDcycle to launch Greening the Green and create a program that will work towards our goal of building a world where plastics never become waste,” PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand CEO Danny Celoni said.

“We believe in the importance of a circular economy and the role it plays in showing people the benefits of recycling and how plastics can be a useful resource rather than waste.”

Commenting on the partnership, Clean Up Australia Chairman Pip Kiernan said, “Clean Up Australia volunteers consistently tell us that plastics are the most common item they are removing from our streets, parks, sporting facilities, bushland, beaches and waterways, and it’s disappointing to see that soft plastic counts continue to rise.

“Last year, 30% of plastics reported to us were soft plastics — a percentage that has doubled over the past two years.

“There has never been a better time to step up to eradicate soft plastic litter, capture this wasted resource and turn it into attractive outdoor furniture. Greening the Green is the perfect vehicle, bringing together business, community and local government,” she said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Ghen