$48M Visy recycling facility to remove 39,000 tonnes each year from landfill

• New recycling facility in Brisbane will remove 39,000 tonnes per year of paper and cardboard from landfill
• Made possible by a $16 million investment from the Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Jobs Fund
• Project is helping to progress Queensland’s 2050 vision of becoming a zero-waste society.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today joined Visy to unveil a major $48 million upgrade to its recycling facility on Gibson Island.

The upgrade was an election commitment made possible by a $16 million investment from the Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Jobs Fund.

The project created over a hundred jobs during construction, and has established 11 new, green collar, recycling and manufacturing jobs on site to add to the over 200 strong workforce currently on site.

The upgrade includes a new state-of-the-art paper optical sorting plant and an upgrade to the embedded energy facility onsite, which uses waste as a power source as opposed to going to landfill.

This technology processes mixed paper from the hundreds of thousands of kerbside bins across Queensland, recycling it back into 100% recycled packaging.

It is expected that up to an additional 39,000 tonnes of material will be diverted from landfill each year.

Visy is investing $700 million on expanding its recycling and remanufacturing operations across Queensland, including a new $500 million glass food and beverage container recycling and manufacturing facility in Yatala, and a new $150 million corrugated box factory at Hemmant.

The 100% recycled paper will be manufactured back into corrugated boxes for Queensland farmers, food and beverage companies, and more at the new Hemmant facility, which is set to open next month and support over 100 ongoing jobs.

Quotes attributable to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

“This facility will significantly reduce the amount of recyclable paper and cardboard ending up in landfill each year.

“It will remove 39,000 tonnes of material each year – equivalent to 20 kilos for every Queensland household.

“This project is helping to progress Queensland’s 2050 vision of becoming a zero-waste society.

“Our government will continue to back transformational projects that support jobs and the environment, and this investment does just that.”

Quotes attributable to Deputy Premier Steven Miles:

“Expanding Queensland’s circular economy including resource recovery and recycling is part of our commitment to decarbonisation.

“It’s facilities like this one that not only reduce landfill and its associated impacts on the environment, but also create new jobs in the growing resource recovery industry.”

Quotes attributable to the Member for Bulimba, Di Farmer:

“The $48 million upgrade to Visy’s recycling facility on Gibson Island is further proof that the Government’s economic plan to grow the State’s economy and create advanced manufacturing jobs is working.

“Anything that reduces landfill waste, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and creates more good jobs in our state’s recycling and resource recovery industry is a good thing.”

Quotes attributable to Visy Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt:

“The upgrade is a part of his commitment to invest $2 billion over the next decade - $700 million of that in Queensland - to reduce landfill, cut emissions and create green collar manufacturing jobs.

“Recycling is an important weapon against climate change. We’re not just manufacturers, we’re in the landfill avoidance business.

“We can’t make these changes without Government action, and I thank Premier Palaszczuk and the Queensland Government for their vision and dedication to practical environmental reforms.”

ENDS

Media contacts:

Deputy Premier’s Office: Amy Hunter – 0423 651 484

Visy: media@visy.com.au