A plastics recycling facility in Dandenong South has been upgraded with optical sorting technology thanks to $6 million funding from the Victorian and Federal governments.
Martogg, one of Australia’s largest privately owned plastics recycling businesses, has invested in new technology that identifies and sorts post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and containers.
The containers are granulated and washed, producing a quality flake that can be transformed back into food-grade recycled pellets for use in PET packaging such as water and beverage bottles, meat trays and packaging for bakery items.
The expansion has resulted in a plant capable of processing 40,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET bottles per year to produce 17,300 tonnes a year of food grade PET flake, or the equivalent of more than 800 million PET bottles.
The expansion is one of 13 jointly funded recycling projects completed since 2021, nine of which target plastics. Together, these projects have increased Victoria’s capacity to process an additional 80,000 tonnes of plastics per annum.
“We want to reshape Victoria, where we use recycled materials anywhere and everywhere, from the roads you drive on to the bottles we drink from,” said Steve Dimopoulos, Victorian Environment Minister.
“We’re pleased to partner with the Albanese Labor Government on a significant investment in Victoria’s recycling economy, creating jobs and building a strong local recycling sector and a strong economy for Victoria.”
The Martogg project has created 28 new jobs.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the $6 million joint investment creates new opportunities for the community and confirms Dandenong’s place as the heart of manufacturing in Victoria.
For more information, visit: www.premier.vic.gov.au
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