Lismore City Council has been awarded a $350,000 state government grant to invest in new infrastructure to help increase recycling rates.
In addition to PET and HDPE Lismore City Council has identified an opportunity to include the separation of polypropylene in their current waste sorting process.
This project will install a new optical sorting machine at the council’s Materials Recovery Facility to separate and recover polypropylene from the mixed plastics waste stream. It is projectedthe council will be now able to sell over 600 tonnes of raw polypropylene per annum as a high value commodity in the local market.
Announcing the grant, Lismore MP Thomas George (Nationals) said it would ‘support Council in its continuing efforts as it works to divert waste from landfill and increase local recycling rates’.
‘I congratulate Council for securing this funding,’ Mr George said.
Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith said, ‘The new optical sorter will allow the Lismore Materials Recovery Facility the further sorting of mixed plastics to recover singular plastic streams for recycling.
‘The China Sword policy has resulted in mixed plastic no longer having any commodity value, the new optical sorter allows Lismore City Council to solve this issue through sorting,’ he added.
Lismore’s is one of eight projects successful in accessing funding under Round 5 of the Resource Recovery Facility Expansion and Enhancement program.
Over $3,600,000 was awarded to projects at licensed waste facilities to increase recycling of waste materials from households and businesses.
The grants have been awarded under the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative.
