Shoalhaven Council ups tyre recycling by 102 tpa with new plant

A rubber crumb plant at Shoalhaven City Council’s West Nowra Recycling and Waste Depot, which the council says will help it increase tyre recycling capacity from 58 tonnes to 160 tonnes per year, was officially opened on Thursday

According to a statement from the council, the site is currently making crumbed rubber and mesh powder, removing “99 per cent of all contaminants” and leaving “an exceptionally high purity product” used in projects such as road paving, artificial turf and playgrounds.

It added that there was potential to further increase output to 270 tonnes per year.

The facility received $514,000 in grant funding from the federal Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) and the NSW government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative.

““Not only is this great for the environment by saving used car, truck and machinery tyres from going into landfill, we are also creating a product that is really useful,” said federal Gilmore MP, Fiona Phillip, who opened the plant. 

“The Shoalhaven rubber crumb plant is one of 43 RMF projects in NSW, with more than $35 million in joint funding between the Australian and NSW Governments.

“On completion, these projects are expected to add 197,000 tonnes of recycling capacity each year, support over 790 ongoing and construction jobs, and see over $122 million invested in recycling infrastructure in the state.”

Shoalhaven City Council said the new crumbing plant supplements council’s other recycling operations, including a MICROfactorie developed by the UNSW SMaRT Centre, and which can transform waste plastics into 3D printing filament and remanufacturing recycled glass sand and textiles into green ceramics.

The council said its goal is to increase landfill diversion rates in accordance with the NSW government target of a 80 per cent average recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030.

Further reading

$7 million grant round opens for NSW recycling projects

The rubble hits the road: recycled concrete and tyres make excellent base, researchers show