Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, officially opened the largest PET recycling plant in the country in Albury-Wodonga.
A joint venture between Pact Group, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the $45 million plant and will substantially reduce Australia’s plastic waste by recycling the equivalent of around 1 billion PET beverage bottles each year.
The plant supported roughly 225 jobs during its construction and installation, and it now employs 40 people – largely Albury-Wodonga residents – for its ongoing operations.
Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley MP sad the Albury-Wodonga project was supported with about $5 million from the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, with the support of the Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund.
“Pact Group made a $500 million commitment at our first national plastic summit in 2020 and they, along with their JV partners Cleanaway, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, have made that a reality today,” the Minister said.
“This demonstrates commitment to our national packaging targets when the supply chain and government work together,” Minister Ley said.
The plant was built with the help of each member of the joint venture, which operates under the name Circular Plastics Australia (PET).
Cleanaway will supply the recycled plastic through its collecting and sorting network, Pact will run the facility and provide technical and packaging knowledge, and Asahi Beverages, CCEP, and Pact will purchase the recycled plastic from the facility for use in their packaging.
The joint venture is constructing a second PET plastic recycling factory in Melbourne’s west, with the ability to recycle 1 billion PET beverage bottles each year. The $50 million plant is set to begin construction in April 2022 and be completed in 2023.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ Vice President and General Manager Australia, Pacific and Indonesia, Peter West, said: “CCEP is committed to playing a leading role in Australia’s circular economy. With our partners, we are working towards creating a closed loop for our bottles where they are used, collected and given another life.
“This plant, and the future Victorian plant, will complete this loop, help to solve the national rPET shortage and create new jobs for Australian workers. It is a proud moment in our corporate history.”
