Victoria is a step closer to establishing its first advanced chemical recycling (ACR) plant for soft plastics, following EPA Victoria’s approval of a Development Licence for APR Chemcycle.
The planned facility, to be built at Rowsley Station Rd, Maddingley, will use pyrolysis technology to convert waste soft plastics into commercial-grade oil. Once operational, it will be the state’s first ACR plant capable of reprocessing soft plastics into feedstock for the plastics manufacturing industry, supporting the production of new packaging.
According to the EPA, the facility will have an initial processing capacity of 10 tonnes of waste plastic per day. The project has also received funding support from Sustainability Victoria.
Value-chain collaboration
APR Chemcycle is a collaborative initiative resulting from a partnership between APR Plastics, Aster Chemicals and Energy, Taghleef Industries Group and Pro-Pac Group, formed to secure processing and offtake for the Maddingley plant.
The collaboration aims to address the longstanding challenge of recycling multi-layer soft plastics – materials widely used in food packaging but considered problematic due to their complex structure and lack of local recycling options.
Under the model, APR Chemcycle will operate the pyrolysis line, with Aster refining the resulting oil into olefins that will be converted into polypropylene resin. Taghleef will then manufacture the resin into PP film, while Pro-Pac will complete the loop by producing snack food wrappers from the recycled film.
The partnership is targeting the conversion of up to 3000 tonnes of soft plastic waste into pyrolysis oil annually, demonstrating a circular pathway from post-consumer packaging back into new packaging.
Speaking to PKN shortly after the EPA approval was announced, Darren Thorpe, CEO of APR Plastics, said this was a "massive milestone" on the company's soft plastics recycling journey. He described advanced recycling as a “feasible and viable solution” for soft plastics in Australia, while stressing the importance of building local capacity.
You can hear more about this advanced recycling initiative from Darren Thorpe on the PKN Podcast, episode 116.
Fast facts: APR Chemcycle Maddingley plant
Location: Rowsley Station Rd, Maddingley, Victoria
Facility type: Advanced Chemical Recycling (ACR) – pyrolysis
Processing capacity: 10 tonnes of soft plastic waste per day
Partners: APR Plastics, Aster Chemicals and Energy, Taghleef Industries Group, Pro-Pac Group
Output: Commercial-grade pyrolysis oil for conversion into olefins, PP resin, and ultimately recycled-content PP film
Target scale: Up to 3000 tonnes of soft plastic waste processed annually
End use: Snack food packaging such as biscuit and confectionery wrappers
Support: Development Licence granted by EPA Victoria; funding support from Sustainability Victoria
