Big Bag Recovery (BBR) uses recycled content traceability to make recycling more open, responsible, and cooperative.
BBR is an Australian Government-accredited voluntary product stewardship scheme for plastic bags over 15 kg/L. These bags include sacks and bulk bags made from woven polypropylene (wPP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
The scheme, founded in 2015, recycles bags from the agriculture, construction, and manufacturing sectors. These bags are often used once and then sent to landfill.
Collected bags are sent to Circular Communities Australia (CCA) facilities. They are then recycled and processed into resin pellets. These pellets are sold as raw material or used to manufacture items such as:
- pallets
- chairs
- sound abatement panels
- water evaporation discs.
BBR has developed a traceability system that tracks each step of the recycling process, from collection to reuse. This system helps measure and report the environmental and economic benefits of recycling.
The power of tracing recyclable material
Traceability means tracking recycled materials through every stage of the supply chain. This includes collection, processing and reuse.
In the case of BBR, each collection is logged with details including:
- the date and time of collection
- collector ID and site address
- GPS coordinates of collection point
- photo evidence of collected bags
- the type (flexible intermediate bulk container or sack) and weight of bags by brand owner
- comments from the collection process.
Circular Communities Australia adds to this data by recording details as bags are recycled and reused. These details include:
- chain of custody model
- processing method
- jurisdiction of origin
- feedstock type
- feedstock source type.
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These details match the key data elements in National Framework for Recycled Content Traceability. Using them ensures consistent data and reporting. BBR also tracks environmental and social impact metrics. This includes:
- greenhouse gas emissions
- the community in landfill costs saved
- jobs generated through recycling activities.
Benefits for businesses
Traceability gives businesses clear evidence of their recycling results. Through live dashboards and reports, members can see:
- how many bags are collected
- where they come from
- how they are recycled.
This helps BBR show responsibility to customers, regulators, and stakeholders. It also ensures fees are fair and linked to actual costs.
BBR publishes its statistics online, giving members and the public confidence in the program's results.
Driving demand for recycled materials
Traceability increases demand for recycled materials as it provides proof of quality and origin.
Australia Post has partnered with BBR to recycle over 100 tonnes of plastic mail bags at CCA. Through CCA's fee-for-service model, these plastics are turned into recycled polypropylene (rPP) pellets. These are used to make new pallets for Australia Post's logistics.
Each pallet is made from:
- 90% recycled plastic from mail bags
- 10% recycled car bumper bars.
The entire process is fully traceable. This gives confidence in recycled content claims and supporting sustainable procurement practices.
Lessons learnt by Big Bag Recovery
One of BBR's main challenges was creating a strong traceability system that could give reliable data to members and stakeholders. The system had to track collection across different industries and locations. This required overcoming technical and data challenges and ensuring members stayed engaged.
Despite these challenges, the traceability system has become a cornerstone of the scheme. It enables BBR to:
- publish performance statistics
- demonstrate accountability
- provide confidence that stewardship fees are being used appropriately and recycling outcomes are achieved.
