Plastic Check-out Bags in the Town of Bassendean Council area

Plastic check-out bags, fresh produce plastic bags and thicker boutique style plastic bags can be taken for recycling to participating retailers such as Coles, Woolworths, Franklins or Safeway and cannot be placed in the home recycling bin. VISY Recycling collects and receives the bulk collections of plastic bags from participating retailers. The bags are then compacted into large heavy blocks ready for further processing and conversion into raw material to make recycled plastic products.

Reusable woven polypropylene bags (the Coles Green Bags and other brands) cotton and string bags can be washed to prolong their life. At the end of their life they can be taken to second hand stores if they are in good condition, or some materials may be useful as cleaning rags.

Plastic check-out bag recycling drop-off locations near you include:

Coles - Bassendean

Bassendean Shopping Centre
Cnr West Road & Guildford Road
Bassendean WA 6054

Woolworths - Bassendean

Bassendean Village Shopping Centre
Cnr West & Guildford Roads
Bassendean WA 6054

About plastic check-out bags

  • Australians still use over 5 billion plastic bags a year.
  • A person's use of a plastic checkout bag can be counted in minutes - however long it takes to get from the shops to their homes. However, plastic bags can take between 15 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment.
  • Many marine animals and livestock are killed by plastic bags that escape from landfill. The best solution to this problem is to use reusable bags that prevent you using plastic bags in the first place.

Recycling plastic check-out bags

  • Plastic bags cannot be placed in council recycling bins.
  • Over 200,000 plastic checkout bags are dumped in landfills every hour.
  • Only 5% of Australia's plastic bags are currently being recycled, despite recycling facilities being available at major supermarkets and retail outlets listed above.

For more info:

  • Another way to reduce this problem is to avoid plastic bags in the first place.
  • Use reusable bags for your shopping. They show you care and it makes carrying your shopping easier too! Most reusable bags can be washed to prolong their life.
  • Check out Planet Ark's plastic bags reduction website.