A new recycling facility for Canberra is on its way with Veolia announced as the successful industry partner to build and operate the new facility. Following a competitive procurement process during 2024, the ACT Government has selected Veolia as the industry partner to design, build and operate the ACT’s new recycling facility. Veolia, a leader in water, energy, and waste management will bring world leading technology to Canberra that will make this new materials recovery facility one of the most advanced in Australia and produce high purity in materials for recycling and resource recovery.                     “We are excited to take this significant step towards a brand-new recycling facility for the ACT. This new venture will ensure the ACT has contemporary infrastructure designed to meet the needs of our growing region,” Minister for City and Government Services, Tara Cheyne commented “The latest technology will deliver the capacity to sort, separate, and process materials for the whole Canberra region, improving resource recovery rates and producing higher quality end products,”

The new state-of-the-art facility will boast some of Australia’s most advanced recycling and sorting technology such as laser optical identification and a glass purification plant which will increase resource recovery rates. It will have the capability to sort paper and cardboard, glass, plastic, steel and aluminium and will be built within the current bounds of the Hume Resource Recovery Estate on Recycling Road in Hume. The new, larger facility will be capable of processing up to 115,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables per year, which supports population growth and changing consumer behaviour that is contributing to increases in recoverable material over time. Veolia will operate the facility under a long-term contract for 20 years once the new facility is up and running. The facility’s new advanced sorting technology, equipped with sophisticated automatic recognition, uses screens to separate paper, laser optical identification with air jets to separate plastics, and powerful magnets to extract metals.

Capabilities and features of the new facility include:

Improved recycling facilities

• Sorting: advanced optical sorting to better separate, identify, sort and segregate recycling to higher purity levels, reducing contaminants for better quality end market products.
• Glass recycling: glass crushing and washing facilities to provide better quality crushed glass that can be used in a wider range of products.
• Container recycling: improved and expanded baling processes for Container Deposit Scheme materials.

Improved environmental aspects

• Greenstar rating: the building will be designed to meet specific Greenstar requirements to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint.
• Wastewater management: wastewater capture treatment and reuse with stormwater management infrastructure to achieve environmental compliance.

Advanced management systems

• Fire management: advanced fire detection and suppression systems.
• Data collection: sophisticated data collection, management, and analysis systems.
• Flexibility to incorporate new innovations, improvements in technology and adapt to changing recycling priorities and materials.

“In addition to the enhanced technical features, the facility will also see the construction of a new education space providing an opportunity for the community and school groups to visit and learn about the circular economy and how recyclable products are processed, to be transformed into renewed items. The new facility has been designed with state-of-the-art fire detection, mitigation and control systems to safeguard the site from fires, which can be caused by items such as lithium batteries or gas bottles finding their way into the recycling stream. Non-recyclable or flammable items should not be disposed of in recycling bins, but it does happen from time to time, warranting the need for these additional safety measures.” Minister Cheyne commented  “The new venture will not only be beneficial to Canberra’s economy but better for the environment by creating more than 130 new jobs and putting a stop to the current need to transport the ACT’s recyclable materials interstate,”                                                                          The new recycling facility is funded via a joint investment of $26 million from the ACT and Australian governments. The construction program includes the demolition of the previous material recovery facility, which is expected to commence around mid-2025. Construction of the new facility is expected to commence in 2026.

Interim recycling

Until the new facility is complete, recycling services will continue to be delivered by the current contractor, Re.Group. There are no changes planned to current recycling management in the ACT. The current contractor, Re.Group, will continue to manage interim recycling services for the ACT while the new facility is under construction. “Canberrans can rest assured that the items placed in their yellow household bins are still being recycled and efforts are greatly appreciated to keep these items out of landfill. The ACT continues to send approximately 50,000 tonnes of mixed-use recyclables interstate for processing each year, meaning these items can be transformed into new products rather than going into landfill.” Minister Cheyne commented “The ACT Government would like to acknowledge the great work which has been performed by the current service provider Re.Group, and thank them for their ongoing commitment to the ACT community. We are grateful for their continued high level of service during the transition period,”                                                      “As the global champion of ecological transformation, Veolia will bring world leading technology to Canberra that will make this materials recovery facility one of the most advanced in Australia and produce the highest purity materials for recycling and resource recovery,” Veolia CEO and Managing Director Richard Kirkman commented “In one fell swoop it will increase local recycling capacity, reduce transport emissions by sorting recycled items locally in Canberra rather than sending them interstate – as currently occurs – and provide more jobs for the ACT’s growing circular economy. During the construction phase it will create 112 jobs for locals and once completed it will deliver 24 permanent roles as part of the facility’s operations.”