Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
500,000+ Tonnes In.
35,000 Tonnes Out.
LDPE is one of Australia’s most used plastics and one of the most neglected. Recycling rates are collapsing while landfill profits climb.
Australia faces a critical challenge in managing soft plastic waste, particularly LDPE. It is the only plastic category that has seen a decrease in recycling rates.
B2B Industrial Plastic Waste.
We estimate that the majority of Australia’s soft plastic waste is not post-consumer, it’s B2B industrial waste. Independent scenario analysis shows that 70 to 75 per cent of soft plastics (approximately 380,000 to 390,000 tonnes annually) originate from industrial and commercial processes. These streams are rarely visible to policymakers or the public. The absence of systematic tracking means this vast industrial contribution is almost entirely unaccounted for in national waste data and recycling initiatives.
Recovery of LDPE packaging fell from 60,000 tonnes in 2021-22 to 32,000 tonnes in 2022-23.
Australian Packaging Consumption & Recovery Data (APCO) 2022-23
So why isn’t it being recycled?
It’s bulky yet lightweight, so bins fill up fast with little actual weight, meaning ‘waste management’ companies make more money dumping it in landfill than trying to recycle it.
It’s often contaminated with dirt, inks, labels, or bio-waste, so cleaning and recycling costs outweigh any resale value in Australia.
Because virgin LDPE is so cheap that recycled LDPE can’t compete on price.
The Targets Are Failing.
Australia has set bold packaging targets, including a goal to recycle or compost 70% of plastic packaging by 2025. A failed target now called “particularly challenging.” Why? Because the critical barriers are economic. Recycling costs more than dumping. And when it comes to soft plastics, the hardest problem of all, the system is moving too slowly to matter.
Environment Ministers have called it out: