One of the largest recycling programs in Australia, in partnership with Coles and Woolworths, hid hundreds of tonnes of soft plastics in six warehouses.
The Environment Protection Watchdog has discovered that REDcycle dumped 3,000 tonnes of waste in numerous Melbourne locales.
The EPA administrator, Lee Miezis, stated that a substantial amount of the plastic appeared to have originated from out-of-state.
One of the largest recycling programs in Australia, in partnership with Coles and Woolworths, hid hundreds of tonnes of soft plastics in six warehouses (pictured, a REDcycle bin in Coles)
‘Today, our officers are checking locations, and we’ll continue to work diligently – with our enhanced regulatory authority – until we’re positive we’ve located every facility in Victoria,’ he added.
We shall not permit pollution or trash to pose unacceptable threats to Victoria’s community or environment.
‘Although the operators of REDcycle did inform us of some of the sites, logistics companies and others are aiding the EPA’s investigations with information. We need to know if you have any of these soft plastic wastes in your warehouse.
To ensure your safety and the safety of your employees, business, and neighborhood, you must comply with our environmental regulations.
It follows the November disclosures that REDcycle had been stockpiling millions of soft plastics.
REDcycle, which has donation bins in tens of thousands of Coles and Woolworths shops in Australia, ceased its recycling activities a few months ago but continued to collect soft plastics.
REDcycle gathered 5 million pieces of plastic daily via bins at Coles, Woolworths, and other big shops (pictured, a worker at Coles)
The recycling initiative claims to gather up to five million plastic pieces every day from supermarkets and other partners, such as Australia Post.
REDcycle stated in a prior statement that it was keeping collected plastic in a warehouse and would continue to do so until operations resumed.
‘REDcycle made the decision to temporarily store materials at a high cost to the organization’s finances.’
‘The REDcycle team has been constantly working behind the scenes to identify alternative processing solutions and end markets. Potentially fresh chances are provided every day, but it will take time to implement them.’