What happens when two sustainability-driven organisations come together with a shared vision? For Opal and Repurpose It, the answer is clear: waste becomes opportunity.
As one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest recycling, paper and packaging businesses, Opal is committed to sustainable circular economy business practices.
In a new move, Opal and resource recovery specialist Repurpose It have aligned with one common goal – recovering resources, such as timber residues from the paper-making process, and giving them a new life.
Thushan Jayawardena, General Manager of Strategic Sourcing for Opal, says the partnership with Repurpose It focuses on recovering timber residues, made up of wood bark and sawdust, which are a by-product from the paper making process at the Maryvale Paper Mill.
“Repurpose It recovers the timber resources and gives them a new life as decorative landscape bark, soil conditioners, compost mixes and mulches,” says Thushan.
Through the partnership, bark can be processed into a range of landscaping mulches and soil conditioner blends, as well as base material for engineered soils. Sawdust and fines are blended into compost mixes and used as bulking agents to support organics processing, while mixed residues are screened and refined so they can be incorporated into Repurpose It’s engineered soil and compost products, ensuring maximum recovery.
Aligned focus
Opal’s commitment to a circular economy is displayed through its operations as a manufacturer of cardboard packaging and paper solutions.
One aspect of Opal’s business is creating a fully integrated cardboard packaging value chain, collecting used cardboard from retailers and businesses, and remanufacturing it into new paper and cardboard packaging.
David Jettner, General Manager of Environment and Sustainability for Opal, says the paper division manufactures paper from used cardboard and locally-grown plantation wood across paper mills in Victoria and New South Wales. This is processed into a range of packaging papers and boards for Australia, New Zealand and overseas.
“Opal is focused on providing customers with products and solutions that replace hard-to-recycle materials and single-use plastic packaging,” says David.
“By finding alternative uses for our waste streams, we are advancing our waste minimisation initiatives.”
He says the partnership with Repurpose It supports Opal’s broader operations, which span more than 70 sites across Australia and New Zealand.
Repurpose It works to eliminate waste and pollution through closed-loop resource recovery. It creates repurposed materials from a range of waste streams, including food organics, garden organics, hard green waste, mixed rubble, concrete, and brick.
“By partnering with Repurpose It, Opal can ensure its timber residue waste is put to productive use, which supports our broader commitment to the circular economy and landfill avoidance,” says David.
Advancing circularity
Thushan says Opal is actively exploring alternative uses for waste streams across its entire paper and cardboard packaging businesses, to better align with sustainability objectives.
Aligning with a like-minded organisation, such as Repurpose It, to reuse traditional waste streams has always been on the cards. But Thushan says more than operational and environmental value, Repurpose It brings creativity and initiative to the table.
“They are proactively presenting innovative ideas for improving our current processes, demonstrating an understanding of our operational needs,” he says. “Their comprehensive industry knowledge and specialised insights distinguish them as true subject matter experts.
“From our initial engagement, it became clear that Repurpose It is a partner we genuinely value collaborating with.”
Finding value in what would otherwise be considered waste is built into Repurpose It’s DNA, says Ashley Johnston, General Manager of Business Development.
“By repurposing all recovered residues, including bark, hardwood waste, sawdust, and fines, through our organics facility, we transform them into high-quality landscaping products,” he says. “This approach keeps timber residues in productive use and supports our broader commitment to the circular economy by supplying sustainable products back into horticulture, landscaping, and infrastructure markets.”
For more information: www.repurposeit.com.au
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