A pulp mill using recycled fibre is set to be built in Australia that will then export the output material.
An investment of AUD$137 million (£72 million) is being made into what will be Australia’s largest paper recycling facility that will be located in South East Queensland.
It is a joint initiative by Auswaste Recycling and the state of Queensland and Australian national Government.
The new facility will process an estimated 220,000 tonnes per annum of recycled waste paper and cardboard into pulp for export.
The Australian Recycled Pulp and Paper Project (ARPPP) forms part of a AUD$1 billion (£524 million) plan to boost recycling infrastructure across the country, while supporting jobs and keeping valuable material out of landfill.
AusWaste recycling director Vincent Liang said: “AusWaste Recycling is pleased to be part of a national approach to resource recovery that recognises the opportunity to use an existing global supply chain to achieve the scale needed to create a meaningful impact on how Australia manages waste and recycling.
“Our core business is the export of commodities like processed pulp from waste paper which are sought after in foreign markets.
“The ARPPP will strengthen our national recycling industry, increase capabilities, and create new jobs.
“Instead of baling and shipping waste paper we’ll be processing and manufacturing a higher-value product.
“We already have well-established relationships in Asia with paper mill operators who are seeking paper pulp and the ARPPP will mean we’re ideally positioned to provide it to them.
“We see South East Queensland as the ideal location for a new facility that can process waste paper supplied from across the state and into northern New South Wales.”
Construction of the ARPPP facilities is planned to commence mid 2024, and projected to be completed in the middle of 2025.
