Over the past three years more than 40,000 tonnes of North Sydney’s soft plastic waste - the stuff you can’t put in the recycle bin - have been given a new lease of life under the RecycleSmart program.

Some may recall when the REDcycle soft plastics recycling program collapsed in November 2022, following revelations that plastics painstakingly collected by customers were being secreted across the country, including Sydney’s northwest.

Since then, RecycleSmart has launched, marketing itself as “Uber for waste”, with big investor backing. And while the recycling program has been successful, the early stages still show teething issues, with some locals lamenting pick up frequency and cost.

Plastic vacuum

RecycleSmart was founded in Sydney in 2019 by Marco Prayer and Giorgio Baracchi. The startup’s service has been adopted by councils, individuals and businesses across Australia. Among more than 100 items RecycleSmart recycles are e-waste, textiles and batteries.

Basically, you use an app to book a collection of hard-to-recycle items and RecycleSmart’s team whisk it away to be repurposed.

The catch

Eugenie Alonzo from RecycleSmart told the North Shore Lorikeet that “the response has been incredible” in North Sydney.

“Over 40,000 tonnes of valuable resources have already been saved from landfill and sent back into the circular economy.” 

However, some North Sydney customers are finding the service impractical and more costly than expected, and are venting their frustrations on social media.

“Our next pick up is in early April. How can we be expected to hang on to our soft plastics until then?” one North Sydney local posted in the North Sydney Living Facebook group.

Under the scheme North Sydney Council has allocated free “Power Pickups” for customers through the RecycleSmart app, or outside of this they can opt for one-off pickups for $15 per bag with a minimum of two bags. Subscribing customers can also opt for an additional two pickups per month for $9.99 for three months before this fee increases to $14 per month.

“The more people who join, the less frequent the pickup,” another local wrote. “I cancelled my subscription as I didn’t want to hold all that waste around the house until pick up time months later.”

Other locals in the group suggested North Sydney RecycleSmart customers book well in advance to avoid having to store rubbish in their homes.

“You can always book in extra pick ups and pay for the service. They are doing a great thing but it does come at a price,” a commenter reiterated.

“Due to the program’s success, free pickups are spread out to ensure all keen North Sydney residents get access within the council’s budget,” Alonzo said.

“For residents who would need to recycle more, they can book an on-demand pickup, usually available the next-day, for a small fee, just like in many other Sydney areas.”

What becomes of your soft plastic?

RecycleSmart bales and sends your soft plastics to “advanced” recycling plant APR Plastics in Dandenong, Victoria, where they are shredded and refined into a resin that can be used for “food grade plastic packaging”, RecycleSmart said.

This process is known as pyrolysis and employs a machinery with a name right out of a sci-fi novel: the Biofabrik WASTX operation system. 

APR’s website states that “one unit has the capability to process up to 1000kgs of such plastics per day”.

In a video on the APR website Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, said “essentially, we won’t have to use new petrochemicals to make plastic if we get this right”.

With alternatives like Artarmon’s Community Recycling Centre and NSROC’s Northern Sydney Community Recycling Centre not currently accepting soft plastics, those wanting to recycle their soft plastics may have to bear RecycleSmart’s wait times and teething issues as it continues to scale its operations.

The North Shore Lorikeet has reached out to North Sydney Council for comment.