AUSTRALIA – Visy, a leading paper, packaging, and recycling enterprise, has unveiled its revamped glass recycling facility in Laverton, Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria.
The US$50 million upgrade from Visy doubles the capacity for glass recycling at the facility and incorporates 20 state-of-the-art optical sorters capable of processing glass particles as small as 3mm.
Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos inaugurated the site, which now possesses the capability to recycle approximately 150 glass bottles per Victorian annually.
Moreover, the facility will process materials collected from Victoria’s newly introduced kerbside glass bins, transmuting used glass into premium-grade food and beverage receptacles while enhancing glass-to-glass recycling efficiency statewide.
Presently, over 220 million containers are being recycled through the Victorian government’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), with an average of approximately 10 million cans per week.
“It’s remarkable to witness such widespread engagement in recycling from Victorians – returning over 220 million containers for recycling into new products, thereby circumventing landfills and safeguarding our precious environment,” remarked Minister Dimopoulos.
“This upgrade holds significant importance for Victoria and Visy as we progress towards manufacturing new glass bottles and jars composed of an average of 70 percent recycled content,” echoed Visy Chairman Antony Pratt.
Victoria aspires to divert 80 percent of all waste away from landfills by 2030, a move projected to generate thousands of new employment opportunities and bolster the state’s economy by up to US$6.7 billion.
To realize this objective, the state government has allocated over US$515 million toward overhauling Victoria’s waste and recycling infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in August of the previous year, Visy inaugurated its US$27.29 million enhanced paper recycling and remanufacturing campus in Coolaroo.
This enhancement forms part of Visy Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt’s pledge to invest A$2 billion (US$1.28 bn) over the ensuing decade to curtail landfill usage, diminish emissions, and foster thousands of environmentally-friendly manufacturing jobs in Australia.
Pratt acclaimed the Drum Pulper system as an Australian innovation, representing the epitome of cutting-edge paper recycling technology globally.
This breakthrough ensures that any wastepaper routed through a Victorian kerbside recycling bin has the potential to be repurposed into fresh packaging within Victoria, obviating the need for landfill disposal or exportation.
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