The collapse of Australia’s largest soft plastics recycler is getting worse the more investigators learn, following the discovery of 14 plastic stockpiling sites previously kept secret.
New stashes of plastic waste, which REDcycle was being paid many millions to recycle, have been exposed for the first time in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Those sites take the total number of REDcycle stockpile locations to 44, up from the 32 which were known in February.
Additional discoveries have been made in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, states which were already recorded as hosting some REDcycle sites.
Liquidators, environmental agents and supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have been trying to unravel the true nature of REDcycle’s failed nationwide operation since the company was found late last year to have been stockpiling plastics in warehouses instead of recycling them.
The numbers involved are huge.
But over the last three months, authorities have been able to confirm REDcycle had been hiding more than double that number, with 44 stockpiles now known.
Officials have not revealed an updated plastic tonnage figure.
A spokesperson confirmed the new locations to 9news.com.au today in a statement, after the story was first reported in The Age.
“To date, we have identified a total of 44 sites where REDcycle had been stockpiling soft plastics without our knowledge,” the spokesperson said.
“We have contacted the operators of every site to develop an action plan to ensure this material is stored safely.
“With new information continuing to come in, we’re navigating a complex range of sites and challenges, and we know this process will take time.”
REDcycle, which is run by the company RG Programs and Services, had been secretly amassing the plastics since June, when a fire destroyed a Melbourne factory which was pivotal to its recycling operations.
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In the months that followed, the company kept quiet as its hoardings of plastic grew into mountains.
REDcycle was supposed to collect and recycle plastics from Woolworths and Coles customers, who were left astonished when the truth emerged.
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria has charged RG Programs and Services and it now faces a possible fine in excess of $165,000.
Woolworths and Coles have been left scrambling to find an alternative to landfilling the gigantic collection of plastic.
“We’re assessing logistics and warehousing arrangements for each stockpile on a case-by-case basis, as we continue to discuss recycling options with several reputable processors overseas,” the spokesperson told 9news.com.au.
“Simultaneously, we are working through the Soft Plastics Taskforce to develop a new in-store recycling program to fill the gap left by REDcycle’s collapse, and we look forward to seeing contributions by other brands and retailers which produce soft plastics.”
When REDcycle was initially suspended, the company refused to provide information on specific stockpile locations and volumes to Woolworths and Coles.
After its operations were exposed, REDcycle CEO Liz Kasell said the company had been struggling to keep up with demand, with a 350 per cent surge in people recycling plastic products.
Fierce conflict is being waged over these plants
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