Visy is seeking to close the loop for mixed paper recycling in Queensland with the completion of the $48 million upgrade to its recycling and remanufacturing facility on Gibson Island.
The upgrade is part of Visy executive chairman Anthony Pratt’s commitment to invest $2 billion over the next decade – $700 million of that in Queensland – to reduce landfill, cut emissions, and create thousands of green collar Australian manufacturing jobs.
The Visy team was joined by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles for the official unveiling.
“This is a very proud day for our company because we’re not only manufacturers, we’re actually in the landfill avoidance business, which is good for greenhouse gas reduction as well because as things decay in the landfill they produce methane gas, which is 84 times worse for climate change than carbon dioxide,” said Pratt. “So recycling is an important weapon against climate change.”
Visy claims the project will divert up to 39,000 tonnes of material from landfill – covering the equivalent of approximately 2500 Suncorp stadiums – using a new state-of-the-art paper optical sorting plant.
Instead of going to landfill, Visy will recycle and remanufacture this kerbside waste from hundreds of thousands of Queensland homes into 100 per cent recycled paper and corrugated boxes for the state’s farmers, and major food and beverage manufacturers.
The 100 per cent recycled paper will then be sent to Visy’s corrugated box plants, including the new one at Hemmant.
Pratt praised Palaszczuk and her government for their foresight and dedication to practical environmental reforms, stating they are “champions of Queensland manufacturing”, and under their watch the state “has become an economic powerhouse”.
The upgrade was made possible thanks to co-investment support from the Queensland government, and is set to reduce landfill by up to 20kg per Queensland household annually.
“We are transforming Australia’s recycling and manufacturing sectors through these initiatives,” Pratt added.
The Gibson Island project created hundreds of jobs during construction and has established even more green-collar manufacturing jobs on site.
Visy now employs more than 1000 Queenslanders state-wide.
