Australian-American manufacturer Visy has begun the construction of a new $500 million glass manufacturing facility on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
The state is currently a net importer of glass packaging and does not manufacture enough to supply the local market, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“When complete, it will manufacture 1 billion glass containers annually and support the growth of Queensland-based beverage companies like Queensland Exporter of the Year Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Asahi, CUB, Lion, and Coca-Cola,” she added.
The new facility will support more than 600 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs once operational.
Aside from making Queensland glass packaging self-sufficient, the new Visy facility is expected to position the state as a net exporter of the material. It will also divert up to 40,000 tonnes of glass out of landfills.
Once complete, the new facility will recycle glass collected from Queensland’s kerbside bins and Containers for Change deposit sites, said Minister for Environment Meaghan Scanlon.
“It will also single-handedly increase the amount of glass Queensland can recycle from 140,000 tonnes to up to 200,000 tonnes a year,” Scanlon said. “Visy has advised that this new investment will be underpinned with long-term contracts, ensuring operations stay in Queensland and increasing the sustainability of their glass packaging.”
Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said the new facility is part of Visy’s $700 million investment in Queensland.
This lucrative investment also includes a new $150 million cardboard box factory at Henmant and $48 million for upgrades at the company’s Material Recovery Facility at Gibson Island.
“Recycling is an important weapon against climate change and this glass bottle factory has the technology to help enable Australia to go from 30-% recycled glass content in bottles to 70% recycled glass content in bottles which is world’s-best practice,” said Anthony Pratt, Visy’s executive chairman.
“And it ensures that the majority of Queensland’s recyclable recovered glass containers from the state’s Container Deposit Scheme and kerbside recycling bins are remanufactured in Queensland,” Pratt added.
