PET recycling facility to be built by industry partnership

Pact Group, Cleanaway, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) plan to construct and operate a new PET recycling facility in Albury-Wodonga, adding to a number of recent recycling announcements in the packaging sector.

The companies are forming a a joint venture that will provide an industry model for recycling solutions in Australia.

This will include the new facility as well as a $45 million PET recycling facility currently being built by Pact Group, Cleanaway and Asahi Beverages through Circular Plastics Australia (PET) in Albury-Wodonga, which is expected to be completed later this year.

The newly proposed facility will provide a massive boost to Australian recycling by processing raw plastic material collected via Container Deposit Schemes and kerbside recycling.

It is expected to process the equivalent of around 1 billion bottles each year to produce over 20,000 tonnes of new recycled PET bottles and food packaging.

The facility will use state-of-the-art sorting, washing, decontamination and extrusion technology.

The cross-industry solution combines the complementary expertise of each participant to enhance their individual sustainability goals.

Cleanaway will provide available PET through its collection and sorting network, Pact will provide technical and packaging expertise and CCEP, Asahi Beverages and Pact will buy the recycled PET from the facility to use in their respective products.

The plant, when fully operational, will be run by Pact.

A decision on the plant’s location is anticipated in the coming months and construction is expected to be complete by 2023.

According to an announcement: “The parties are proud to work with one another to advance the cause of sustainability and recycling.

“This proposed plant is an important step forward in creating a local plastics circular economy in Australia.

“This new self-sustaining industry is expected to create dozens of new jobs during the construction phase and operation of the plant.”

Picture: Cleanaway

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