REDcycle Update

BabyLove^® has been a long-term supporter of REDcycle and its efforts to recycle soft plastics packaging collected at supermarkets across Australia. As such, all our packaging currently calls for the recycling of our plastic bags through this scheme.

Unfortunately, the REDcycle team recently made the decision to pause the return to store component of the program to allow for the soft plastic pipeline to rebalance, as there is currently too much plastic to be recycled by the existing processors in Australia.

BabyLove^®’s parent company, Unicharm, continues its strong commitment to packaging recycling and whilst we understand there is an interim issue with end of market soft plastic recycling our goals remain towards closed loop systems, like our cartons which contain 90% recycled cardboard.
We are currently working with industry regarding alternate recycling efforts. In the interim, all soft plastics will need to be placed into your regular kerbside rubbish bit until further notice, unless your local Council has introduced interim facilities such as Monash delivers soft plastics recycling option for residents | City of Monash.

Unicharm is a participant in the soft plastics kerbside recycling trials, the National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS), currently underway in participating Councils across Australia being led by the Australia Food & Grocery Council.

The National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS) is a trial project aimed at achieving solutions for soft plastic recycling via existing kerbside collection systems – rather than consumers needing to take soft plastics to the retailer. Additionally, the NPRS is also targeting a circular economy rather than the soft plastics going to secondary products such as furniture and other biproducts. Trials commenced in Victoria last month and will commence across participating councils in South Australia and NSW up until March 2023. Unicharm has been one of the first companies to financially commit to this trial with trial estimations of around $90 million to conduct. The current soft plastics recycling rate is estimated at around 16% and the target currently being reviewed is towards 70%. The NPRS scheme is hoping to roll out nationally in 2024.

RecycleSmart is a new initiative for NSW residents working to provide simple solutions for those who want to recycle. Think of an on-demand, free and dependable pickup recycling service that comes to your house. If you’re a time-poor parent conscious of waste, this one’s for you. The best part is that you can recycle your nappy packaging and make a difference.

How it works.

1.Schedule A Pick Up.
Download the RecyleSmart App and set up a collection day that suits your family’s schedule.

2. Pack Your Bags.
Put your “BabyLove Nappy outer packaging” and your “hard-to-recycle things” into any regular shopping bag.

3. Leave Them Outside
Leave the bag/s outside your house for RecycleSmart to collect on pickup day.

Chief Marketing Officer of RecycleSmart Eugenie Alonzo quotes “We need to drive change, but we also need to bring trust and transparency to recycling and explain what happens beyond the things collected.”

So what happens after they get collected? Once picked up from your house the soft plastics are fed into a machine using pyrolysis (elevated temperatures with no oxygen) and then transformed into an oil. This oil is then sold onto VIVA Energy to be turned back into flexible food-grade plastic packaging. Intrigued? Read more about it here at RecycleSmart.