New facility brings plastic recycling and jobs to Albury
Almost 28,000 tonnes of plastic per year will be processed at a new facility in Albury, thanks to a $4.8 million grant from the NSW Government’s Major Resource Recovery Infrastructure Program.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the new facility, developed by Australia’s largest waste management company Cleanaway, will help reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill, help improve our environment and create local jobs.
“This is an excellent announcement for NSW and we are proud to have helped make it happen through a grant from our waste levy-funded Waste Less Recycle More initiative,” Mr Kean said.
“Cleanaway is the country’s largest waste employer, with 250 sites across the nation and 6,500 direct employees and now people in Albury will benefit from the new positions this facility brings.
“The Government is actively funding and supporting new industry to grow our circular economy and this is great news for the regions of NSW.
“It is a fantastic step forward in creating a more circular economy – one in which the materials we put into our recycling system, including those from our Return and Earn scheme, are remade into new products.”
Member for Albury Justin Clancy welcomed news of the new facility and the 30 new local jobs and investment opportunities it will create in the Riverina Murray region.
“I am thrilled that Albury will be home to this new recycling facility which will service markets along the East Coast and process millions of plastic bottles, many of which will have come through the NSW Government’s Return and Earn scheme,” Mr Clancy said.
“This facility will process the equivalent of 900 million plastic bottles every year, that’s 900 million less bottles in our waterways, on roadsides or in landfill and it’s a great example from one of the future industries that will help to power our regional economies.”