A landmark construction and demolition waste plant is helping to pave the way for a sustainable future in South East Queensland.
The commissioning of Rino Recycling’s construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant in Brisbane in January 2024 signals a key moment for the future of South East Queensland (SEQ).
It also points to a change in ideology for the waste recycling and recovery company.
General Manager Daniel Blaser is flipping the narrative, viewing the plant as a manufacturing facility producing the highest quality product every day, rather than a recycling centre.
“In recycling you get paid to take waste and try and turn it into something that’s usable, often it doesn’t end up being the highest and best use,” Blaser says.
“We are changing the philosophy. Let’s treat it like a manufacturing facility and have the highest quality products on the outbound.”
Rino Recycling was established in 2021 by Queensland Recycling Technologies (QRT), a joint venture between Alceon Qld and real estate and private equity investor DCP, through the purchase of recycling business assets from an existing company based in Eagle Farm.
That purchase provided Rino with all the existing recycling components, and a significant footprint to service the Brisbane market with two commercial waste recycling transfer stations at Pinkenba – Rino’s headquarters – and a river sand quarry at Waterford.
In 2022, Rino Recycling set its sights on transforming its existing facilities into a fully integrated, wholly automated plant, combining the operations of the existing Eagle Farm Road and Main Beach Road sites.
Blaser started as General Manager on day one of the acquisition with one goal; to find “what best practice looks like”.
The objective was to minimise manual handling and maximise efficiency and separation to create the highest quality products.
The result is a global-first recycling plant that incorporates wet and dry processing under one roof.
The hybrid plant is already delivering dramatic improvements to waste recovery rates in the Brisbane metropolitan area and capturing high-value construction materials that would have otherwise been destined for landfill.
Washing experts CDE designed and engineered the wet processing solution that’s integrated with the Turmec-supplied dry processing system.
Daniel Webber, CDE Australasia General Manager, says the ground-breaking plant will make important contributions to SEQ over the coming years.
“SEQ is in the early stages of a significant investment period. Over the next two decades, we’re going to see a real upturn in construction to support the development of major infrastructure and large-scale capital projects,” Webber says.
“The SEQ City Deal is creating a more connected, prosperous and sustainable region and this plant will be one of the primary supply lines to help deliver on those aims in an economic and environmentally sustainable way.”
The $1.8 billion SEQ City Deal is a long-term collaboration between the three levels of government – Federal, State, and the Council of Mayors SEQ – to deliver 29 commitments aimed at generating long-term benefits for the SEQ region.
Currently home to 3.8 million people, the region’s population is expected to rise by more than 40 per cent by 2041, according to the South East Queensland City Deal Implementation Plan, July 2023, making it one of the fastest growing areas in Australia.
Alongside major capital investments to support population growth, such as a new Brisbane Metro station at Woolloongabba, other key areas of investment in the SEQ City Deal include resource recovery infrastructure.
“Rino Recycling is ahead of the curve in this respect. This plant is really leading the charge towards a circular economy and flying the flag for C&D waste as a viable alternative to virgin quarried materials,” Webber says.
Blaser adds: “We truly believe this plant to be one of SEQ’s crown jewels for sustainable construction. It’s a beacon of sustainability, not only for this region but for any fast-developing region that recognises economic growth doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment.”
Power of collaboration
Designed to minimise the need for operator intervention, the interconnected system melds CDE’s expertise in materials washing with Turmec’s experience in dry recyclables to accept a wide range of variable waste streams, including commercial skip and bin waste, C&D waste, hydro excavation waste, concrete, and excavated fills.
Linked by a network of conveyors, waste materials transition seamlessly between the wet and dry systems without manual input.
First, feed material is processed via Turmec’s tried-and-tested dry mixed recyclables plant to separate fines and remove contaminants before passing through CDE’s advanced wet processing plant to produce a range of washed and graded recycled sand and aggregate products.
“This really is uncharted territory,” Webber says. “It’s the first time two systems of this kind have been brought together in this way, under one roof.”
A cleaner future
The fully-automated facility has a maximum processing capacity of 475 tonnes of C&D waste per hour – equivalent to 1.5 million tonnes per year – and while the plant has only been operational for months it is expected to reach full capacity in the next 12-18 months, according to Blaser.
“We’re currently operating at about 50 per cent of our total capacity, but this is steadily increasing to the point we anticipate reaching full capacity by the end of 2025,” he says.
“A major component of the work we’re doing is about educating the industry around the potential of recycled construction materials. We’re making a very strong case in favour of recycled sand and aggregate. More and more companies are adapting and as that increases so too will our capacity to meet that growing demand.
“We see a greener, cleaner future just over the horizon and are steadfast in our commitment to see it realised.”
C&D waste accounts for 38 per cent of all waste generated in Australia. In 2020-21 the sector produced 29 million tonnes of waste, according to figures from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Blaser says while many people recognise the high recycling rates and environmental, social and governance benefits of the plant, he says there is currently no financial benefit for the use of recycled products.
Jason Hartmann, CDE Business Development Manager, Daniel Webber, CDE
General Manager and Dan Blaser, Rino Recycling, General Manager.
The tide is changing, and he continues to advocate for a nationwide recycled first policy with a focus on three caveats – recycled products must be used if they meet specifications and pass all testing requirements, if they are available, and if they are no more expensive than virgin materials.
“If we created a recycled first policy, quarries and other landfills are likely to invest in recycling because they have an end market,” he says.
“Ultimately that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”
Webber says the plant has the capacity to turn the tide on waste.
“The plant has the capacity to give resource recovery rates a healthy boost and help accelerate progress towards a circular economy.”
The plant is also helping drive down carbon emissions.
“Historically in this region trucks had to travel considerably long distances to access resource recovery facilities. It essentially made waste recycling a cost-prohibitive exercise,” Webber says.
“This solution and its proximity to Brisbane’s Central Business District – the beating heart of many major infrastructure projects – will help reduce the sector’s carbon footprint by tackling the waste burden, repurposing materials, and limiting the need to extract new raw materials.”
To date, the Rino Recycling plant has saved more than 29,000 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere, the equivalent to planting 435,663 trees and taking 5863 cars off the road, according to calculations by Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions. By the time the plant is at full capacity in 2027-28, the emissions saved will be close to 45,000 tonnes a year.
Water neutrality
Adding to the plant’s sustainability kudos, CDE’s industry-leading water management and recycling means up to 95 per cent of the water passing through the wash plant is recycled and immediately recirculated for reuse in the system.
This is made possible by a closed-circuit configuration of CDE’s AquaCycle thickener, holding tanks for recycled water and sludge, and a filter press.
Operating in unison alongside the core processing plant is the addition of CDE’s HYDRO:TIP, which handles non-destructive digging (NDD) muds with ease and efficiency.
With the HYDRO:TIP, Rino Recycling can process waste mud cost-effectively while recovering recycled materials. Clean water from the vacuum waste is also recovered. This top-up water, coupled with that recovered by CDE’s water treatment process, means the plant is totally water self-sufficient.
“Achieving water neutrality is no small feat, but the benefits both economically and environmentally are huge,” Webber says.
“From water permits and environmental assessments, to water scarcity and increasing pressure from population growth, insufficient water supply can drive up operational expenditure. The value of construction materials increases significantly when washed, so a water neutral plant reduces costs and helps produce products that command a premium.”
The plant is producing a variety of high-quality products that rival quarried materials, including washed fine sand and clean, washed aggregates ranging in size from five millimetres through to 40/70 millimetres.
Blaser says the Rino plant is one of a few in Australia that is recycling concrete and heavies and washing the aggregates on the other end.
CDE’s new Australian headquarters, located in Stapylton, just 30 minutes from the Rino Recycling facility, is helping to increase return on investment and plant optimisation.
Pete Neely, CDE’s regional CustomCare manager, says that throughout installation and commissioning, CDE had a local team of installation professionals, project managers, technical and electrical experts overseeing the job.
“That service level continues post-commissioning,” he says.
“Our CustomCare team is providing responsive on-the-ground support and our proximity to the facility means spare parts are available locally with short lead times, all of which is helping reduce downtime, lower shipping costs, and lower operating costs while boosting productivity.”
Rino is aiming for a 97 per cent recycling rate and is currently sitting at 95 per cent. Blaser says the last four-to-five per cent are “tricky” but that’s the challenge.
“We’re not going to be satisfied until we get there,” he says.
“The first part of this journey is to get the facility up to capacity and ensure we have a great team.
“The second part is to try and expand our offering – looking at more things we can recycle and some other products.”
For more information, visit:
www.cdegroup.com