The City of Perth has welcomed what Cleanaway says is the most high-tech recycling facility in the southern hemisphere.
Cleanaway says its brand new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) has the capacity to process the city’s entire household recyclable waste.
Up to 250,000 tonnes of recyclable material, enough to fill almost 470 Olympic-size swimming pools could be handled by the new MRF, each year, they said.
Cleanaway said its MRF is the most advanced commingled recovery system in the country, with optical sorting technology capable of separating recyclable materials including plastics, metals, paper and cardboard. The new plant plans to deliver some of the highest diversion rates in Australia – 97 percent, in comparison to average recovery rates of less than 85 percent.
Mr Reece Whitby, Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, today joined Cleanaway CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal to mark the official opening of the MRF in Perth’s north east.
“This multi-million-dollar facility is a major step forward in both infrastructure and technology and will take recycling in Western Australia to a whole new level of quality and purity. The Perth MRF is a significant investment for Cleanaway in line with our Footprint 2025 plan, and a demonstration of our firm commitment to creating a sustainable future for Australia,” Mr Bansal said.
Cleanaway General Manager for Western Australia, David Williamson, said the high-tech facility has an unmatched capability designed to address Perth’s recycling needs for the next decade and beyond.
KEY POINTS FROM CLEANAWAY:
- 95% recovery of all recyclables up to 10% higher than current MRFs
- Up to 15% more waste diverted from landfill
- 50 tonnes throughput of recyclable materials every hour
- 53,000 tonnes of recovered paper and cardboard every year
- 7,500 tonnes of recovered mixed plastics every year
- 1,000 tonnes of recovered aluminium and metals every year
“With the city’s population set to reach 3 million by 2020, Perth households and businesses will be producing more waste than ever before. Increasing the state’s capacity for resource recovery is a top priority for Cleanaway. Our new MRF will be the first facility capable of recycling household and business waste. We are opening the door to small and large scale commercial customers and making recycling easier in the workplace, giving businesses the ability to recycle in the same way as households,” Mr Williamson said.
Almost 20 years ago, Cleanaway introduced the first MRF to Western Australia. These older MRF’s have now been decommissioned and replaced by the new MRF in South Guildford.
“This significant investment by industry recognises the value of resources that are lost when recycling is not maximised,” Mr Whitby said.
“The McGowan Labor Government is committed to improving recycling performance in Western Australia.
“It’s great to see the private sector playing an active role by complementing the actions taken by the Western Australian Government and local governments to promote improved recycling, such as the Better Bins kerbside recycling program.”