The Waste and Recycling Industry of Queensland (WRIQ) has launched a competition in the hope of unearthing new solutions to the growing problem of fires caused by lithium ion batteries. In a statement on Wednesday, WRIQ said “Challenge Waste – the Lithium–ion Battery Challenge” covers six categories and is open to “entrants of all ages,…
Five million dollars in grants has been awarded to eight projects under Queensland’s Circular Economy Investment Program, including a robotic pallet dismantler, oyster shell waste in render and plaster products, and newly-developed materials from rigid plastic waste. According to a statement from the state environment department on Monday, the grants awarded were worth between $250,000…
The Tasmanian government has celebrated the uptake of the state’s new container deposit scheme, with a million containers returned in the first four days. According to a statement from environment minister Madeleine Ogilvie on Tuesday, the milestone was reached at a refund point within Bridgewater’s Cove Hill Precinct. “I thank Tasmanians for getting behind Recycle…
KBR selected for Samsara factory Houston, US-headquartered engineering firm KBR has been announced as a partner on Samsara Eco’s plastics and textile enzymatic recycling plant, scheduled for completion in early 2028. Samsara is commercialising an enzymatic recycling technology for processing “some of the most common types of plastic and synthetic fibre – materials that have…
Textile recycling business BlockTexx and paper manufacturer and recycler Opal have announced a new pilot program, with “old and unused uniforms” from Opal’s Botany Mill collected and processed. According to a statement from the paper company, the program has already seen a 660-litre container full of uniforms collected, with these to be put through BlockTexx’s…
Battery chemical recycler and manufacturer Livium has commenced a deal to provide services to metal recycling business Sell & Parker, anticipated to generate revenues of $3 million in the next 12 months and offering potential “to be Livium’s largest ever recycling contract”. According to a statement from Livium on Thursday, the three-year subcontractor deal with…
Enzymatic recycling business Samsara Eco has announced two new additions to its global leadership team, with the appointment of Brock Thomas as Chief Innovation Officer and Isaac Iverson as Executive Product Director. In a statement on Thursday, the company said the pair bring decades of experience in the USA’s polymer industry and “will lead the…
A University of Adelaide researcher has found that few cheese manufacturers, “across all production scales”, are upcycling the byproduct of whey, the liquid left over after milk is curdled and strained. According to Jack Hetherington from the Centre for Global Food and Resources, “there is significant potential for widespread change in a relatively short period, particularly…
A new solution for Australia’s growing e-waste problem launched Friday with the opening of the UNSW-designed Plastics Filament MICROfactorie in Sydney. Electronic waste recycler Renew IT has incorporated this technology at its Lane Cove facility to transform hard plastics from discarded printers and computers into valuable filament for 3D manufacturing. Developed by the UNSW Centre…
Recycling and packaging company Visy has announced a pilot project with brewer Stone & Wood, aluminium coil supplier Novelis and metals company Rio Tinto, named “Re-In-Can-Ation”, producing a beverage can with an average of 83 per cent recycled content. In a statement on Monday, Visy said the Re-In-Can-Ation is expected to run for 18 months.…