Visy, a global packaging and resource recovery company, broke ground on its new $500 million glass recycling and manufacturing factory outside Brisbane.
The facility, which represents the largest investment Visy has ever made, will recycle up to 200,000 tonnes of the state’s glass annually to produce 1 billion bottles a year.
Visy executive chairman Anthony Pratt was joined at the groundbreaking by Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, treasurer and minister for trade and investment Cameron Dick, and minister for the environment Meaghan Scanlon.
The project represents a massive expansion of Visy’s Queensland recycling and remanufacturing operations and is underpinned by a long term partnership with Asahi Beverages, and agreements with its customers Lion, Bundaberg and Coca-Cola.
Scanlon said once complete, the new facility will recycle glass from kerbside bins and from Containers for Change deposit sites.
“It will divert up to 40,000 tonnes of glass from landfill, the equivalent of 200 million extra recycled beer bottles. It will also single-handedly increase the amount of glass Queensland can recycle from 140,000 tonnes to up to 200,000 tonnes a year.
“Recycled glass from the facility will be used to make sustainable bottles and jars for Queensland’s growing food and beverage industry.”
Palaszczuk said the project was ground-breaking for Queensland jobs, manufacturing and the environment.
“Queensland is currently a net importer of glass packaging and currently doesn’t manufacture enough to supply the local market.
“This new facility will not only make Queensland glass packaging self-sufficient but also sets us up to be a net exporter. It will also divert up to 40,000 tonnes of glass out of landfill.”
Dick said the new facility was part of Visy’s $700 million investment in Queensland.
“Visy’s $700 million investment in Queensland not only includes this $500 million glass and manufacturing facility but also a new $150 million cardboard box factory at Hemmant and $48 million to upgrades at its Material Recovery Facility at Gibson Island,” he said.
“This new recycling infrastructure project is great news for Queensland jobs, for Queensland manufacturing and for Queensland’s cleaner future.”
Pratt explained that recycling is an important weapon against climate change and Visy’s glass bottle factory has the technology to help enable Australia to go from 30 per cent recycled glass content in bottles to 70 per cent recycled glass content in bottles.
“And it ensures that the majority of Queensland’s recyclable recovered glass containers from the state’s Container Deposit Scheme and kerbside recycling bins are remanufactured in Queensland,” Pratt added.
Construction is scheduled for completion in 2025.