An Adelaide recycling plant has signed an arrangement to convert used paper into newspapers, in a $500,000 sorting line upgrade.
News Corp reports the company signed the deal late last month with a New South Wales mill. Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority services the council districts of Playford, Salisbury and Gawler.
NAWMA chief executive Adam Faulkner told News Corp the deal was “exciting” and a “huge opportunity” in the wake of the Chinese ban on waste imports of plastics and paper.
“What it means basically is that residents who recycle paper in their yellow-top bins from our three northern council areas, that paper will be turned back into newspapers,” he said.
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“Keeping business onshore is the most important bit and supporting local manufacturing at the paper mill.”
Mr Faulkner also reportedly vowed to save residents from rate hikes linked to an increase in collection costs by absorbing any additional costs until the deal commences on 1 September.
“We saw this China shift happening around August last year and we moved early,” Mr Faulkner said.
“The fact we own and run our own facility on behalf of the councils gives us that slight competitive advantage where we can direct these materials to where they need to go.”
Mr Faulkner said there was still a “rocky road to go” and supported calls from the Local Government Association for the South Australian Government to help alleviate the situation by tapping into its $100m Green Industry Fund.
“We just need to ride this out. That’s why we’re calling on SA Environment Minister David Spiers to release some of that money into local government.”
Mr Speirs told News Corp that after that meeting he was working on a relief package to help councils and the waste industry. He said there would be “firm detail” on its support package within weeks.