Soft plastics recycling – drop-off now available

Published on 08 May 2026

Good news! Your clean and dry soft plastics can now be recycled through dedicated drop-off bins located at the front of all metropolitan Woolworths stores in South Australia.

In partnership with Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, these materials are collected and processed into new products such as building materials and food-grade packaging, supporting a more circular economy.

What counts as a soft plastic?

Plastic packaging that’s scrunchable and floppy ‘like a bread bag’. Not sure if it’s a soft plastic? Try the scrunch test – if it stays scrunched, it’s a soft plastic. If it springs back into shape, it’s likely a rigid plastic and belongs in your yellow recycling bin.

What can be dropped off?

Please make sure your soft plastics are clean and dry, with food scraps and bread tags removed.

  • Plastic bags
  • Bread bags
  • Chip packets
  • Frozen food bags
  • Biscuit wrappers
  • Chocolate wrappers
  • Cereal liners

What can't go in?

  • Compostable bags – place these in your green organics bin
  • Biodegradable plastic bags – place these in your waste to landfill bin
  • Rigid plastics – recycle these in your recycling bin.

Where can I drop off?

Participating Woolworths store can be found here:

https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/recycling/soft-plastic

Important reminders

  • Soft plastics cannot go in the yellow recycling bin
  • Soft plastics cannot go in the green organics bin
  • If a drop-off location isn't accessible, soft plastics should go in the waste to landfill bin

What about compostable plastics?

If a product is certified compostable and displays the AS 4736 ‘seedling’ logo (below), it can go in your green organics bin. These items are designed to break down in commercial composting facilities and should not be placed in soft plastics recycling.

Compostable icon

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