A road of perseverance leads to local glass recycling infrastructure for WA

In 2003, Owens Illinois, formerly known as ACI Glass Containers, closed its Perth-based manufacturing facility after some 50 years of operation. With the closure of the local glass recycling infrastructure commenced the practice of transporting WA’s post-consumer glass across the Unlabored to South Australia for re-use in glass manufacture.

Subsequently, the Waste Authority and its predecessor, the Waste Management Board, have proactively investigated options to establish a sustainable local solution to glass recycling. In 2006 a market development study for used glass in WA was commissioned and the report (Market Development Study Used Glass for WA: Aug 2006) outlined a range of issues associated with post consumer glass recovery in WA.

During late 2007 the Waste Management Board, in collaboration with the Packaging Stewardship Forum (a forum within the Australian Food and Grocery Council), called for expressions of interest for a “post consumer glass packaging recovery solution for WA”; unfortunately interest was limited and no viable solutions were identified through the process.

This lead to the Waste Management Board commissioning a study, early in 2008, into the economic viability and operational feasibility of a boutique bottle making plant in WA. The report (The feasibility of establishing a boutique bottle manufacturing acility in Western Australia ) clearly indicated that a boutique bottle making plant required a large initial capital investment but would recycle very little of WA’s post consumer glass.

Immediately after ruling out the feasibility of a boutique bottle making plant, the Waste Authority re-embarked with the Packaging Stewardship Forum to initiate an expression of interest; this time broadening the EOIs scope to target the “design, construction and operation of a post consumer packaging reprocessing facility in WA”. A number of competitive glass recycling applications were received early in 2009 and two of these were supported through the National Packaging Covenant’s project funding scheme.

Ultimately, the full project proposal from Colmax Glass Pty Ltd received approval through both tiers of the National Packaging Covenant assessment process. The Waste Authority and the Honorable Donna Faragher MLC, Minister for Environment endorsed $1.95 million in Government funding from the Waste Levy for the project. These funds are matched with funds from the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association with Colmax Glass contributing the difference to the $5.4 million project.

Colmax Glass Pty Ltd has commenced the process of establishing a vertically integrated glass processing plant in Perth. In its proposal Colmax Glass, which operates a similar plant in NSW and is building additional plants in Brisbane and Melbourne, anticipates that the plant will reprocess up to 22,000 tonne of glass in its first year of operation with the potential to ramp up to 40,000 tonne per annum. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2010 and will produce grades of glass for various markets both local and overseas.

Photos from the launch of the project by the Minister and at the existing Colemax recycling plant in Perth: (click to enlarge)

                            

View Minister's Media Release: Funding for glass recycling project

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