Waste plant launched in Collie

A $10.4 million waste management plant in Collie has been completed, providing a bioenergy solution to waste and landfill overflow.

The Collie Resource Recovery Centre is set to convert household and biomass waste into useful products such as bio-char, bio-oil and wood vinegar.

The facility was designed by renewable resource company Renergi, with the technology for the project pioneered at Curtin University by an engineering team led by Renergi chief executive and professor, Chun-Zhu Li.

The project was delivered in partnership with the Shire of Collie and was funded by the state and federal governments, with further investment provided by an anonymous private consortium.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen and state Regional Development Minister Don Punch announced the completion of the Collie Resource Recovery Centre today.

Mr Bowen said the new plant would address the world’s climate emergency and provide employment in a regional part of Australia.

“Renergi is laying the foundations for a new bioenergy industry that will ensure Collie seizes the opportunities of our nation’s energy transformation,” he said.

“This project demonstrates how all levels of government … can work collaboratively to create jobs in our regional communities as the world decarbonises.”

The waste management plant is slated to create 12 full-time jobs.

Mr Punch said the new facility opened economic and environmental opportunities for Collie.

“The state government is building a strong future for Collie and is attracting new industry to the town to create more local jobs for local people,” he said.

“Renergi is one of a growing number of trailblazers that have seen an opportunity in Collie, and with the funding provided by the state government, they have grasped that opportunity.

“The plant will turn trash into treasure in the form of bio-char, bio-oil and wood vinegar.”

Bio-char can be used for soil conditioner and road construction, wood vinegar is often used in horticulture, while bio-oil has a range of uses.

Member for Collie-Preston Jodie Hanns said the completion of the waste management plant had grown optimism in Collie’s community.

"I'm pleased to see Collie at the forefront of this new technology that not only creates jobs but also tackles the problem of waste in an innovative way," Ms Hanns said.