Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today announced the new $9 million recycling facility, which will be the biggest of its kind in Victoria and among the largest in the country.

The facility – built by Remondis Australia – will give cleaning solvents, inks and paints a second life, turning them into products that can be re-used by industry, such as secondary cleaning liquids used in spray guns, alternative fuels and raw solvent material.

It’ll put a massive dent into the 29,000 tonnes of recyclable liquid hazardous waste that is disposed of each year in Victoria, while reducing the need for storage which carries fire, health and environmental risks if managed inappropriately.

Remondis Australia will build three distillation units within the new facility which will be able to process up to 9,600 tonnes of hazardous solvent waste once up and running in 2024.

The Labor Government is contributing $1.3 million to the project, with a further $10.2 million available for companies looking to invest in hazardous waste management.

It’s part of the Labor Government’s record funding of $380 million to establish the Recycling Victoria action plan, transforming the state’s recycling sector, reducing waste, creating thousands of jobs and setting up Victoria for a more sustainable future.

An extra $11.3 million is also currently available to help Victorians find smarter ways to minimise, repurpose and appropriately dispose of waste and prevent the dumping of unwanted household goods.

Councils, not-for-profits and community organisations are encouraged to apply for grants of between $25,000 and $250,000 for projects like repair sheds, communal gardens and tool libraries.

For more information visit vic.gov.au/transforming-recycling-victoria or to apply for a grant, go to sustainability.vic.gov.au/grants-and-funding.

Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“We’re taking the important steps needed to reduce the risks of hazardous waste management – recycling it where we can means we’re building a cleaner, greener state – creating jobs and generating new value for the Victorian economy.”     

Quote attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams

“To have Remondis expand their existing operations to include hazardous waste recycling is great news – it means more local jobs and reducing Victoria’s dependency on raw materials.”