Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Hamilton Ward Councillor David McLachlan and Rino Recycling General Manager, Daniel Blaser – 4 August 2022
A new $90 million recycling plant in Pinkenba is set to dramatically improve construction and demolition (C&D) waste recovery rates across Brisbane and divert resources away from landfill.
Rino Recycling and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner today launched the start of construction on their C&D waste material recovery facility which is targeted to be the largest, by volume, in the world.
The state-of-the-art plant will enable high quality recycled construction materials to go back into new construction projects, including infrastructure for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Cr Schrinner said there was an extraordinary pipeline of construction projects planned across South-East Queensland over the next 10 years.
“Recovered C&D materials from projects such as the demolition of the Gabba or Eagle Street Pier can be recycled at this plant. The range of high-quality sand, fill, road bases and aggregate materials produced can then be supplied back into new construction projects,” he said.
The facility, which has been designed to recover 97 per cent of waste, has been developed in partnership with wet processing industry experts CDE, and Turmec, which specialises in the manufacture of plant solutions for dry recyclables.
Rino Recycling General Manager Daniel Blaser said the integrated hybrid plant would be the first of its type around the world, paving the way for the future of recycling.
“We have invested in best-in class technology to automate the recycling process and remove the requirement for manual handling of materials,” he said.
“In doing so, we will combine the operations of our existing Eagle Farm Road and Main Beach Road sites, improving capacity and efficiency, as well as product quality.
“The annual assessed and targeted processing capacity of the new facility is over 1 million tonnes, with the potential to reach 1.5 million tonnes by year five. This recycling volume is the equivalent to planting more than 600,000 trees per annum.”
The new facility, set to be commissioned mid-2023, will accept a variable waste stream of commercial skip and bin waste, demolition waste, hydro excavation waste, concrete and excavated fills. It will also contain a fully recycled water treatment plant.
Mr Blaser said the project would support government recycling policy priorities and waste targets, in addition to creating 47 new jobs.
“We plan to lead the charge for a circular economy in the local market and provide a quality alternative to virgin quarried materials.”