Soft Plastics Recycling Pilot
City of Adelaide has been working with Central Adelaide Waste and Recycling Authority (CAWRA), a soft plastics stewardship scheme and the Cities of Charles Sturt and Port Adelaide Enfield to trial a new approach to collecting soft plastics for recycling.
The purpose is to test if soft plastics can be successfully collected for recycling using the yellow recycling bin through various ‘bag-in-bin’ models.
The trial first commenced in December 2022 and the outcomes were successful, so we are moving to a pilot phase. The pilot is free and is now open.
Residents that participated in the earlier trial will need to re-register to be part of the pilot
Check your eligibility below.
Get in quick, numbers are limited.
Taking part in the pilot phase
Soft plastics can only be recycled in your yellow recycling bin if it’s contained within the supplied special orange bag.
Soft plastics should NEVER be placed loose in your recycling bin.

Frequently asked questions
The purpose is to test if soft plastics recycling can be successfully collected for recycling using the yellow recycling bin through various ‘bag-in-bin’ models.
Participating residents can fill the special bags with soft plastics, then place into their kerbside yellow recycling bins. The bags are then separated at our material recovery facility, baled and sent for recycling at a facility interstate.
For the earlier trial phase we used Curby and used yellow bags and the results were successful. View the full report on the results.
We are now moving to a pilot phase. A special orange coloured bag made with 100% recycled content will be used to align with the program nationally.
The trial phase is now complete, and the results were positive:
- Residents liked the convenience of the ‘bag in bin’ method to collect their soft plastics
- The bags held up well (nearly all of them arrived at the recycling facility intact)
- The brightly coloured bags were easily seen and pulled out by recycling workers
- The quality of soft plastics received was good (suitable for recycling).
You can read a report about how it went.
Residents of the City of Adelaide with a yellow recycling bin serviced by the City of Adelaide are eligible for the pilot.
Get in quick to register because spaces for this trial are limited to 1500 households.
To participate, please register by entering your address in the registration box above. After registering, you will be sent your soft plastics recycling 'starter pack', which contains 20 specially printed orange bags.
Once you have your orange bags, you can start recycling your soft plastics.
- Fill the supplied orange bag with clean, empty and dry soft scrunchable plastics.
- When the bag is full and tight like a basketball, firmly tie with a double knot and place in your yellow-lidded recycling bin for collection. This may be monthly or even longer, depending on when the bag is full.
Soft plastics can only be recycled in your yellow lidded recycling bin if contained within the supplied orange bag. Soft plastics should NEVER be placed loose in your recycling bin.
Yes, but only if you have registered to be in the pilot phase. Soft plastics can only be recycled if placed in the special orange bags. If you have left over yellow Curby bags you can continue to use these until they run out.
Soft plastics placed loose in recycling bins (or not in the custom printed bags) cannot be recycled.
If you do not have the custom-printed bags, please place your soft plastics in your red waste bin.
Soft plastics placed loose in recycling bins (or not in the special orange bags) cannot be recycled.
If you are not a participant in the pilot, please place your soft plastics in your red waste bin. They will go to landfill for disposal.
The pilot program is available at no cost to participating households, thanks to an industry-led soft plastics stewardship scheme, the Central Adelaide Waste and Recycling Authority, the Cities of Adelaide, Charles Sturt and Port Adelaide Enfield and the soft plastics recycling industry.
The pilot phase will allow all partners to learn about the collection, processing and costs associated with recycling soft plastics using our yellow-lidded recycling bins.
The orange bags (filled with recyclable soft plastics) will be sorted at the Central Adelaide Waste and Recycling Authority (CAWRA) recycling centre. They will then be sent to a plastics processor for shredding, further sorting (by plastic type) and to be made into new plastic products.
This process helps reduce the need for virgin plastics, minimises waste sent to landfills for disposal, lowers emissions and cuts down on litter.