Big Bag Recovery

Member | Tracking Since June 2025

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Big Bag Recovery Sustainability Actions

Opening of Australia's First Purpose-Built Bulk Bag Recycling Facility

On 26 February 2025, Big Bag Recovery and sister company Circular Communities Australia officially opened Australia's first purpose-built bulk bag recycling plant in Toowoomba, Queensland. The 2,300 sqm state-of-the-art facility processes woven polypropylene (wPP) and LDPE bags into recycled resin pellets, which are remanufactured into products including water evaporation discs and community seating. The facility is expected to divert approximately 4,000 tonnes of plastic from landfill annually, prevent over 5,871 tonnes of COâ‚‚e emissions per year, and grow from eight to fifteen full-time jobs in Toowoomba.

Social enterprise partnerships for inclusive employment

Big Bag Recovery collaborates with social enterprises including Endeavour Foundation to create meaningful employment opportunities at the Circular Communities Australia Toowoomba facility. These roles provide pathways to work for individuals who have faced barriers to employment, embedding social value directly into the plastic recovery supply chain. This approach demonstrates that environmental stewardship and social inclusion can be delivered together through circular economy design.

Council drop-off network expansion

Big Bag Recovery has expanded its national collection network by partnering with local councils to establish community drop-off points at waste transfer facilities. Recently, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council opened Big Bag Recovery drop-off points at its Kew, Wauchope and Cairncross waste facilities, providing residents and businesses in regional NSW with access to free, traceable bulk bag recycling. This council partnership model is being replicated across Australia to maximise geographic accessibility and collection volumes.

Big Bag Recovery partners with GT Recycling

Big Bag Recovery has partnered with GT Recycling to improve the recovery and local processing of industrial plastic bags in Victoria. Through this partnership, woven polypropylene (wPP) and LDPE bulk bags and sacks are recovered and processed at GT Recycling’s Moolap facility. The materials are diverted from landfill and reprocessed into recycled outputs that can re-enter manufacturing supply chains. The partnership also strengthens domestic recycling infrastructure by keeping processing local, reducing transport distances, and supporting regional circular economy capability.

Fonterra + Circular Communities Australia (Packaging Waste Reduction Initiative)

Big Bag Recovery has supported Circular Communities Australia in efforts to reduce plastic waste from industrial packaging and improve recovery outcomes across the supply chain. The initiative focuses on diverting used packaging materials away from landfill and into established recycling pathways. It supports circular economy outcomes by enabling recovery and reprocessing of industrial plastics through existing recycling networks. This work also supports collaboration between manufacturing and recycling sectors, improving how packaging materials are managed at end of life and contributing to lower material loss across the system.

Reducing Plastics to Landfill

We work closely with our brand partners to divert as much plastic packaging as possible from landfill by maximising what can be processed through our recycling facilities. We aim to promote awareness surrounding the impacts of sending this material to landfill, compared to recycling.

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Plastic Packaging Recycling

Big Bag Recovery works with brands to recover and recycle all plastic packaging, including Bulk Bags, Sacks, and Pallet Wrap made from Woven Polypropylene (wPP) and Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE).

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Remanufacturing Products Locally

We collaborate with Australian remanufacturers to create high quality products from the recycled plastic pellets. This ensures our recycling and remanufacturing processes remain local, supporting the Australian circular economy.

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Supporting Social Enterprises

We partner with social enterprises that employ people with intellectual disabilities, creating meaningful work opportunities in the sorting and collection of recyclable plastics.

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Supporting Local Businesses & Communities

We are committed to support local businesses by working with collectors who help service our brand partners. We also work with local councils to make our program accessible to end users in regional communities.

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Sustainability Education & Awareness

We help brands understand their environmental impact and provide practical educational resources to implement our recycling stewardship program effectively.

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What do our labels mean?

Australian Government Accredited Product Stewardship Scheme Logo

Australian Government Accredited Product Stewardship Scheme
Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025 – ACT Winner (Embracing Innovation) Logo

Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025 – ACT Winner (Embracing Innovation)
Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025 – ACT Winner (Promoting Sustainability) Logo

Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025 – ACT Winner (Promoting Sustainability)

About Big Bag Recovery

  • Status
  • Employees
  • 5 - 25
  • Industry
  • Environmental Services
  • Country
  • Australia
  • Founded
  • 2015