Plastics recyling company Replas has joined with the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) and the Queensland Government to establish a state-of-the-art plastics recycling facility in Logan Shire, on the outskirts of Brisbane.
The APC and Qld state government have each contributed $600,000 towards the establishment of the plant, which is due to go into operation later this year.
The facility will reprocess plastic waste collected locally and produce products which can be used for community infrastructure throughout Queensland.
The new facility will be the only operation in Queensland able to process a full range of plastic packaging materials, including shopping bags, shrink-wrap films, sterile wrap and many other types of plastics used in the packaging supply chain, and turn them into end products.
Replas director Mark Yates said the company aimed to use the latest re-processing technology to turn waste packaging into a range of products such as bollards, furniture, decking, signage and outdoor fitness equipment that can then be used by local communities.
“The community and many corporations are doing the right thing by recycling their waste. But the public doesn’t expect it to go offshore or end up in landfill,” he said.
“We need local government and corporations to support us by buying recycled-plastic products made from this resource to close the loop on recycling in Australia.
“Recycled-plastic products provide a cost effective alternative to timber that is not only more durable, but also better suited to harsh environmental conditions such as we experience in Queensland.”
He said that as support from the local market grows, the company anticipated it could expand the range of products it made at the facility.
Replas, formed in 2001 by the merger of Australian Recycling Technologies (ART) and Repeat Plastics, reprocesses plastic waste into a range of over 200 robust recycled-plastic products for outdoor use.
The Logan plant will complement its existing facilities in Lilydale and Ballarat in Victoria.
Plastics recycling specialist Replas turns waste packaging plastic into items such as outdoor furniture for schools and community facilities.
