Visy, a prominent recycling company, has revealed a substantial $50 million upgrade to its Laverton glass recycling factory in Melbourne, Victoria.
In a significant move towards sustainable practices, Visy has unveiled a $50 million investment to modernize its Laverton glass recycling facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The upgraded plant, when operating at full capacity, has the capability to recycle all of Victoria’s recyclable glass, effectively doubling Visy’s glass recycling capacity in the state. This translates to an annual recycling capacity of 200,000 tonnes of glass, equivalent to producing 150 bottles and jars per Victorian resident annually. Beyond environmental benefits, this investment is expected to contribute to the local industry and create additional jobs.
The official opening of the plant took place with the presence of the Victorian Minister for Environment, Steve Dimopoulos, and Visy Chairman, Anthony Pratt. Mr. Pratt highlighted the significance of the upgrade not only for Victoria but also as a step toward manufacturing new glass containers with an average of 70% recycled content. He emphasized Visy’s commitment to landfill avoidance, considering recycling and remanufacturing as crucial tools in the fight against climate change.
This investment aligns with Mr. Pratt’s 2021 commitment to inject $2 billion over the next decade to reduce landfill, decrease emissions, and generate numerous green-collar jobs in Australian manufacturing. A glass container from Visy with 70% recycled content requires up to 30% less energy to produce compared to a container with no recycled content.
The Laverton factory’s upgrade includes the implementation of 20 advanced optical cameras, enabling the sorting of glass particles down to three millimeters in size. This precision in sorting enhances the circular economy by keeping more glass within the recycling loop. In contrast, the old facility could only process glass particles of 10 millimeters or larger. The processed glass will be remanufactured into new glass jars, bottles, and containers at Visy’s Spotswood facility, the only glass container furnace in Victoria.
As one of Australia’s leading recycling companies, Visy collaborates with councils nationwide, processing approximately 40% of Australia’s kerbside recycling bins.
Source: GlassBalkan