Supporting initiatives

Recycling plant boosts the circular economy

A $45-million plastics recycling plant opened in Albury in March 2022. It’s Australia’s largest recycling facility of its kind and can process up to 28,000 tonnes of plastic a year – the equivalent of 114,000 plastic bottles an hour or one billion a year!

The EPA provided $4.8 million for the new facility – more than 10% of the total cost – as a grant from our Major Resource Recovery Infrastructure Program.

Other contributors were Pact Holdings Ltd, Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Acting CEO Jacqueleine Moore was at the facility’s opening. ‘It’s exciting to see this huge new facility being formally opened, knowing the EPA played an important role,’ she said. ‘It not only represents a big step towards a circular economy but will also create employment in this region.’

Long-time support

The Coffs Harbour Waste Management Conference has been held annually since 1996 and the EPA has been a proud sponsor for over twenty years.

‘We had a commitment to be there on the frontline and answer people’s questions directly,’ says Danyelle Carter, Unit Head Local Government in our Circular Economy Programs branch.

The event is widely considered to be Australia’s leading waste management conference. It provides a venue at which industry, local government and other stakeholders can meet, talk and learn about the latest developments in waste management and resource recovery. The EPA has provided speakers, booths and financial support to the event as part of our ongoing commitment to work collaboratively and engage with our stakeholders.

The 2022 event was back to full capacity after a break caused by COVID-19. Of the 662 attendees, 559 were present in person and 103 joined online.

The EPA presented on the new 20-year waste strategy, litter, illegal dumping, food and garden organics, Indigenous waste management and the circular economy. We took part in panels on managing disaster waste, extended producer responsibility and Return and Earn (the NSW Container Deposit Scheme). People came to our large booth to talk with us about topics they were passionate about.