The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted interim authorisation to Coles Group, Woolworths Group, and ALDI Stores (Australia), allowing them to continue their collaborative efforts in recycling stockpiled soft plastics in the country.
This move comes as the existing authorisation was set to expire on Monday (22 July).
In June last year, the regulator granted conditional authorisation to these retailers to work together through the Soft Plastics Taskforce to address the accumulation of domestic soft plastics following the halt of REDcycle's collection programme.
The new interim authorisation permits the continuation of an in-store collection pilot programme.
The programme is currently active in 12 Melbourne stores, including five from Coles, five from Woolworths, and two from ALDI.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said: "It is important to keep the stockpiles out of landfills and this interim authorisation will enable the supermarkets to process the stockpiles with the requisite sense of urgency, without any disruption.
“Many consumers want to see a return to in-store soft plastics collection and recycling on a wider scale, so we are keen to see that this pilot programme continues with some urgency and enables future expansion of in-store collections.”
The conditions of this authorisation mirror those of the previous one, mandating quarterly progress reports and meeting minutes from the Soft Plastics Taskforce to the ACCC.
Additionally, all arrangements are required to cease immediately upon the authorisation’s expiry or revocation.
"Given the level of consumer concerns, it is important that there is continued transparency about what progress of the supermarkets are making in their processing of the soft plastic stockpiles," Keogh added.
The ACCC expects the supermarkets not to hinder recycling processors from engaging with other parties in future collection programmes.
A public consultation on the substantive application is underway, with submissions due by 6 August 2024.
In November last year, Australian yoghurt manufacturer MOO Premium Foods agreed to remove all ‘ocean plastic’ claims from its business following an investigation by the ACCC.
