Polypropylene Plant Packaging Recycling Pilot Program seeking NSW participants

It is estimated that only 1,000 of the 15,500 tonnes of plant packaging produced annually is collected each year. In partnership with Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA), the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is working to develop the Polypropylene Plant Packaging Recycling (PoPPr) product stewardship scheme to increase recovery of plant packaging.

Funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPIF), work on the design of the recycling program for polypropylene plant packaging continues with support from an industry Steering Committee which has representatives across the greenlife packaging value chain from manufacturing to processing. Consultation with the industry is ongoing and specific feedback on the scheme design will be sought in the new year.

Concurrently, a pilot program is running in New South Wales from 1 November 2021 to 7 February 2022. This pilot will capture important information around collection logistics, volumes, and costs to inform the development of a national, voluntary product stewardship scheme.  

The pilot program, a requirement under stage two of the product stewardship project, will collect plant packaging from a range of businesses in the greenlife supply chain.  The information will inform the design of the scheme by testing key operational components. Learnings from the pilot will help prove the value proposition and financial viability of the scheme, identify gaps, challenges and opportunities, and enable APCO and GIA to obtain feedback from stakeholders and pilot participants. 

The pilot is designed to maximise the volume of plant packaging collected. In doing so, it is anticipated to drive customer traffic to drop off sites, stimulating sales.

APCO would like to hear from businesses in New South Wales who are interested in participating in the pilot project. To express your interest in participating, please get in touch with Kobie Keenan, PoPPr Scheme Administrator, at kkeenan@apco.org.au.