A new $40 million recycling facility with advanced screening and sorting equipment is up and running.
The Material Recovery Facility at Nambour can filter through about 60,000 tonnes of annual household and business recyclable waste, collected from yellow-lidded bins.
It recovers glass bottles and jars, plastic containers and steel and aluminium cans, for reprocessing into new items.
The facility also sorts paper and cardboard at 98 per cent purity – the highest quality of any Australian facility.
The recyclable waste moves through a network of more than 60 conveyor lines with screens, ballistic separators, magnets, optical sorters, eddy currents, robotic quality control and balers.
It sorts it into three paper grades at quality levels that are in global demand and five grades of single-stream plastics, with the plastic and fibre products at market-leading 98 per cent purity levels.
The plant was custom engineered and designed by Recycling Design and Technologies Engineering, with parent company Re.Group tasked with the ongoing operation of the plant.
Re.Group managing director David Singh said the materials recovery facility represented the “new breed” of high-capacity, high-quality recycling facilities for South-East Queensland.
“The facility will feature advanced screening and sorting equipment to maximise the quantity and quality of recovered paper, cardboard, metals, plastic and glass,” he said.
“Once sorted and baled, these materials are distributed to specialist manufacturers where they are made into a range of new products such as packaging and paper products, right through to road base and outdoor furniture.”
Construction of the facility was funded through an agreement between all levels of government, with $22 million from the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund, $13.5 million from Sunshine Coast Council and a $5.1 million joint contribution from Australian and Queensland governments under the Queensland Recycling Modernisation Fund.
Mayor Mark Jamieson said the new MRF was set to deliver an even smarter solution to the region’s recycling.
“The opening of this new facility is another step towards council’s goal to become a zero-net emissions organisation by 2041,” he said.
“Having a facility that delivers the highest quality of segregated materials fuels the circular economy and prevents more waste going to landfill.”
Sunshine Coast Council Environment Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez said the facility would help the council deliver the Sunshine Coast Resource Recovery Strategy and create opportunities for the economy.
“More than 80 local jobs were created during construction, with 18 new full-time positions established to run the facility,” she said.
“The new facility’s ability to sort and separate the recyclable waste to a high standard and supply desirable materials for industry will spur innovation within the private sector.
“This will in turn create more ways to use recycled materials, leading to new manufacturing processes and new jobs.
“Ultimately, it will help our healthy, smart and creative region continue transitioning to a circular economy for managing waste.
“That’s a win-win for our environment and our economy, benefiting today’s and future generations.
“It is yet another example of how we as a council are driving our aspiration for the Sunshine Coast to be Australia’s most sustainable region – healthy, smart, creative.”
Senator for Queensland and Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm said many Sunshine Coast residents were passionate about recycling and wanted to do their part to help protect the environment.
“This Material Recovery Facility is another great example of the kind of infrastructure we need to boost recycling in Australia, while also creating jobs in the process,” he said.
“The Albanese Government’s investment means more local jobs on the Sunshine Coast, less rubbish in landfill and a healthier environment.”
Queensland Environment Minister Leanne Linard said the state government was committed to working with councils in Queensland to enhance their waste and resource recovery services as we move to a zero-waste society by 2050.
“One way we will achieve our goals is to support greater re-use, recycling and remanufacturing of recyclable materials, and this new materials recycling facility will help us do that,” she said.
Member for Nicklin Robert Skelton said the new facility would contribute to economic growth for the region, create jobs and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
“Resource recovery is of vital importance in our drive for environmental sustainability, embodying the principles of a circular economy by reusing, recycling and repurposing materials and energy sources, thereby reducing waste generation and conserving valuable resources,” he said.
“The Palaszczuk Government is pleased to support Sunshine Coast Council in the implementation of its waste management plans, to deliver significant change in waste management right through to the household level.”
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