Wagga Wagga City Council has partnered with Big Bag Recovery to collect big bags from around our region and return them to be recycled.
Big bags are the bags that carry bulk products and ingredients to all sectors of industry such as fertiliser, seeds, animal feed, flour, salt, sugar, sand, gravel, mulch, cement and more.
The program is part of a mandatory national scheme for packaging. Brand owners are required to design more sustainable packaging to increase recycling and reduce litter.
Resource Recovery Facilities Manager Andrea Baldwin said the big bags will be taken away and turned into new products.
"Used big bags can be dropped off to collection points at our waste management centres in the Wagga Wagga LGA where they will be collected by Big Bag Recovery," Ms Baldwin said.
"They will then be turned into items like seating for schools, floating covers for reservoirs to prevent evaporation, and sound abatement structures.
Big Bag Recovery is the only Australian Government Accredited product stewardship scheme for plastic bags over 15 kg/l of contents (sacks and bulk bags).
The program only includes recyclable bags that are woven polypropylene (wPP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE).
So far Big Bag Recovery has recovered over 8 million kilograms of plastic through the scheme. (Big Bag Recovery 2026).
"There are many benefits to participating in this scheme: it reduces landfill, prevents plastic entering the environment, reduces emissions and creates jobs," Ms Baldwin said.
In our region, collection points are available at the Gregadoo Waste Management Centre and the Rural Transfer Stations located at Collingullie, Currawarna, Galore, Tarcutta, Humula, Uranquinty and Mangoplah.
