bagMUSTER expansion supported by planned new onshore recycling infrastructure

Shareef Khan - Executive General Manager, Pact, The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos - Minister for Environment, Victorian Government, Hon. Mark Dreyfus KC MP - Federal Member for Isaacs, Australian Government, Alicia Garden - CEO, Agsafe announce new onshore recycling for bagMUSTER.

bagMUSTER is set to expand across Victoria, with a pathway to national rollout, following the announcement of a project to develop new onshore recycling infrastructure that will support the collection and recycling of tens of thousands of agricultural bulk bags each year.

Pact Group is undertaking trials to determine the feasibility of recycling the woven polypropylene (PP) bulk bags to make plastic resin and then use that resin to remanufacture new bulk bags for the Australian market.

Under a matched Federal–State scheme, funding has been secured to install a dedicated recycling line at one of Pact’s Victorian facilities should the trials prove successful. Once installed, the new equipment will have capacity to shred, wash and pelletise up to 5,000 tonnes of bulk bags every year — strengthening bagMUSTER’s processing capability and supporting the program’s growth.

Why this matters

The new recycling line will process woven pp bags commonly used across agriculture, including bags for fertiliser, seed, grain, stock feed and similar inputs.

As bagMUSTER grows, reliable processing capability is essential. Collected bags must be handled in a way that is practical, scalable, and aligned with industry and community expectations for responsible recycling.

The new recycling line will process woven pp bags commonly used across agriculture, including bags for fertiliser, seed, grain, stock feed and similar inputs. By increasing dedicated capacity in Victoria, it supports additional collection activity over time.

Importantly, Agsafe has supported this project through co-investment, helping secure priority processing capacity for bagMUSTER material. This strengthens confidence that bags collected through bagMUSTER can be processed onshore as the program expands.

A practical investment to support program growth

bagMUSTER is a product stewardship solution designed to help prevent agricultural plastic waste from being burnt, buried or improperly disposed of on-farm. The program provides a dedicated recycling pathway for single-use agricultural plastic bags, supporting better environmental outcomes and helping industry respond to growing expectations around packaging and waste management.

This new infrastructure will support bagMUSTER to increase volumes and reach over time by strengthening the processing pathway after bags are collected. As local capacity comes online, bagMUSTER can expand in a controlled way with confidence in the recycling capability behind the program.

Working together to deliver responsible outcomes

The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos - Minister for Environment, Victorian Government, Hon. Mark Dreyfus KC MP - Federal Member for Isaacs, Australian Government, and Alicia Garden, CEO, Agsafe.

Agsafe is the wholly owned subsidiary of CropLife Australia and the operator of bagMUSTER, helping deliver industry-led solutions that support safe, responsible and sustainable outcomes across agriculture.

bagMUSTER currently operates in Victoria and is working toward national expansion. This investment strengthens the processing capacity required to support growth now and into the future.

For information about bagMUSTER and how the program works, visit our website or contact the Agsafe team.