As Coles celebrates National Recycling Week this week, it is pioneering the construction of a carpark made partly out of plastic bags and soft plastic packaging.
It is the first commercial construction project in Australia to use the technology. If used in commercial concrete projects across Australia, it has the potential to divert 105,000 tonnes of soft plastics from landfill each year.
“As one of Australia’s largest food retailers, we know how important it is to support initiatives that help to close the loop with soft plastics.”
The supermarket partnered with Victorian recycled plastic manufacturers RED Group and Replas to install the concrete slab carpark with Polyrok—a sustainable alternative to aggregate minerals used in concrete, such as stone.
Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans said Coles Horsham is leading the way on recycling soft plastics using Polyrok.
“There is huge potential and opportunity for infrastructure projects to help us build a more circular economy,” Evans said.
“This is why the Federal Government has prioritised the development of new national standards and guidelines to encourage the use of recycled content in roads and other projects.”
Polyrok is made from soft plastic packaging returned to special bins at Coles. The bins are coordinated by RED Group, a Melbourne-based recycling organisation which Coles has worked with to divert over 1.3 billion pieces of soft plastic from landfill since 2011.
