Beyond RedCycle: Why RecycleSmart’s Business Power Pickup Is One to Watch
When REDcycle collapsed in early 2023, the fallout was swift and sobering. Over 12,000 tonnes of soft plastics were left stranded in warehouses across the country and households lost access to the only widely available soft plastics drop-off system. It exposed what many in the sector had been quietly warning for years: our recycling infrastructure was never designed for the scale of consumer waste we now face.
Perhaps more frustrating was the inaction from the major retailers who had built much of their sustainability messaging around REDcycle. Despite relying heavily on the scheme to meet their own targets, the big supermarkets failed to step in meaningfully until after it was too late. REDcycle—a small, under-resourced organisation, was left to carry the weight of a national system. When it buckled, the public paid the price, both in confidence and capacity.
The result? A broken model, a crisis of trust and no clear path forward.
Landfills Are Nearing Capacity + Costs Are Climbing
This isn’t just a recycling story—it’s a broader infrastructure one. According to the NSW EPA, all landfills in Greater Sydney are expected to reach capacity by 2030, with significant implications for waste transport, disposal fees and regional communities. Councils may face substantial cost increases, while the public will see the financial and environmental consequences of our throwaway culture firsthand.
In Victoria, the cost of landfill is becoming a direct economic deterrent. From July 2025, the levy for municipal and industrial waste is set to rise from $129.27 to $167.90 per tonne, while priority “Category B” wastes—such as silica dust from engineered stone—are taxed at $288.29 per tonne. This pricing shift is an intentional nudge toward better sorting, reuse and recovery systems.
RecycleSmart Steps into the Gap
Enter RecycleSmart, a start-up that began with a simple idea: make recycling as easy as ordering a pizza. While their household service gained early traction, it's their Business Power Pickup that’s fast becoming a critical tool in the commercial waste landscape.
Rather than relying on centralised drop-off points, RecycleSmart collects more than 100 hard-to-recycle waste types—including soft plastics, textiles, polystyrene, e-waste and batteries—directly from offices, retailers, and hospitality venues. Everything is weighed, barcoded and sent only to vetted, traceable recycling partners. Their consolidation points are EPA-compliant and independently inspected. Most importantly, every kilogram is tracked and auditable—closing the transparency gap that led to REDcycle’s downfall.
At Circular Design Thinking, we maintain an evolving list of ventures we believe are genuinely enabling circularity within the interiors and built environment sectors. RecycleSmart is the latest addition for three reasons:
Operational simplicity: They eliminate the need for multiple contractors or waste partners across materials.
Data integrity: They provide clear tracking of all waste streams, essential for circularity reporting, certification schemes and ESG alignment.
Scalability with impact: Their service is expanding rapidly across Australia, supported by a model that prioritises long-term viability and systems thinking.
A Necessary Rethink
The waste industry in Australia is under pressure—from legislation, from rising costs and from growing public expectation. RecycleSmart’s model offers a refreshing counterpoint to the patchwork systems and underfunded schemes of the past. It’s designed for the real world, backed by data and already helping organisations transition from compliance to genuine accountability.
As the consequences of inaction become more visible—from fire-prone waste trucks to overflowing landfills—businesses need trusted partners who understand both the urgency and the complexity of circular systems. We believe RecycleSmart is one of those partners.
