$48 million upgrade at Visy Gibson island site unveiled

Visy has officially launched the upgrade to its Gibson Island, Queensland recycling facility, which the company says will add an additional 39,000 tonnes per annum of capacity and 11 new jobs.

The $48 million project was awarded a $16 million grant from the Queensland Jobs Fund in April last year, with state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joining the launch on Tuesday.

Additions to the site include a new paper optical sorting plant and “an upgrade to the embedded energy facility onsite, which uses waste as a power source” instead of being sent to landfill.

“Recycling is an important weapon against climate change. We’re not just manufacturers, we’re in the landfill avoidance business,” said Visy Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt in a statement.

“The upgrade is a part of his commitment to invest $2 billion over the next decade – $700 million of that in Queensland – to reduce landfill, cut emissions and create green collar manufacturing jobs.

The facility will take mixed recycled paper and turn this into 100 per cent recycled cardboard packaging. 

“It will remove 39,000 tonnes of material each year – equivalent to 20 kilos for every Queensland household,” said Palaszczuk.

Picture: credit Visy