28th Jun 2019
Victoria is now home to a new state-of-the-art plastics recycling plant in Melbourne’s north that capable of recycling 70,000 tonnes of plastic each year.
Advanced Circular Polymers’ $20 million advanced plastics recycling facility in Somerton was officially opened today. It received a $500,000 funding boost from the Victorian government and will create 46 new jobs.
“We’re proud to support ground-breaking projects like this one – marking a new era in plastics recycling for Victoria,” Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said.
Advanced Circular Polymers will be one of the most advanced plastics recycling facilities in Australia, transforming waste plastic into a valuable resource for use in both export and local markets for re‑manufacturing and new products.
“It’s fantastic to have a state-of-the-art facility like this one in Somerton – not only will it strengthen our recycling industry, it’s a great jobs boost for this community,” Member for Yuroke Ros Spence said.
The opening of the recycling plant will help address the challenges created by China’s import restrictions imposed in 2018. The plant will contribute significantly to reducing plastic waste in Victoria, with the capacity to process more than 10 per cent of all plastic waste generated across the state.
A grant of $25.3 million Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund aimed at supporting the project will be used in the development of infrastructure to improve the collection and reprocessing of recycled materials.
“We’re investing in recycling infrastructure to create a more stable and productive recycling industry,” Minister D’Ambrosio said.
Victoria has allocated a total of $35 million in its recent budget to strengthen and diversify Victoria’s waste and recycling industry.
This latest package builds on the $37 million Recycling Industry Strategic Plan – bringing the Labor Government’s investment in the waste and resource recovery industry to more than $135 million.
The Government is also making it easier for councils to improve their recycling contracts and increase collaboration by granting a state-wide exemption for local councils to remove administrative barriers to extend their recycling collection contracts to June 2021
“We’re helping councils work together to build a better recycling system for all Victorians,” Minister for Local Government Adem Somyurek said.
