Cleanaway opens new $20m facility

Cleanaway has opened a $20 million materials recovery facility (MRF) in South Guildford, which it claims is the most advanced recycling plant in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The new MRF was officially opened yesterday and has the capacity to process the entire city’s household recyclable waste.

It reportedly has the most advanced commingled recovery system in the country, with eight optical sorters separating materials such as plastics and cardboard.

Up to 250,000 tonnes of recyclable material could be handled at the facility each year.

The new plant will deliver a 97 per cent diversion rate – one of the highest diversion rates in Australia, compared with the average recovery rates of less than 85 per cent.

Cleanaway opened the state’s first MRF almost 20 years ago, with all current metropolitan units to be decommissioned and replaced by the new facility in South Guildford.

Cleanaway chief executive and managing director Vik Bansal was at the official opening of the centre yesterday.

“This multi-million dollar facility is a major step forward in both infrastructure and technology and will take recycling in WA to a whole new level of quality and purity,” Mr Bansal said.

“The Perth MRF is a significant investment for Cleanaway in line with our Footprint 2025 plan, and a demonstration of our firm commitment to creating a sustainable future for Australia.”

It’s the latest state-based investment to come out of the ASX-listed waste management company, which expanded its WA operations through the purchase Matera Waste in October last year.

Cleanaway general manager for WA David Williamson said the facility had an unmatched capability to address Perth’s recycling needs for the next decade and beyond.

“With the city’s population set to reach 3 million by 2020, Perth households and businesses will be producing more waste than ever before,” he said.

“Increasing the state’s capacity for resource recovery is a top priority for Cleanaway.

“We are opening the door to small and large scale commercial customers and making recycling easier in the workplace, giving businesses the ability to recycle in the same way as households.”

Cleanaway’s current contracts for the new facility involve 19 councils as well as Chevron and Scotch College.

At the time of writing, Cleanaway shares were down 2.3 per cent at $1.29 each.