Australian Paper Recovery has inaugurated a new A$2.5m (£1.4m) paper sorting facility in Melbourne, Australia.

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Image: Australian Paper Recovery’s facility will recycle sorted paper into products such as newspaper and packaging. Photo: Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay.

The new recycling facility, located in Melbourne’s west, is equipped to process 39,000 tonnes of recycled paper a year.

Backed by funding boost from the government of Victoria, Australia, the new facility is intended to provide full grade separation of kerbside and commercial mixed paper and cardboard.

The facility will reprocess high quality sorted, and graded paper and then recycle them into products such as newspaper and packaging.

Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said: “Facilities like these are a crucial part of reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill – it’s fantastic to see Australian Paper expand their operations to accept more materials.

“A circular economy will not only improve Victoria’s waste and recycling systems – it will support local businesses and create local jobs here in Victoria.”

Creating six new jobs, the facility is also capable of accepting additional materials from regional and metropolitan kerbside recycling, including plastics and metals.

Expected to contribute to Victoria’s circular economy efforts, the project has received the A$2.6m (£1.46m) Recycling Industry Transition Support Fund from the state government of Victoria.

The fund aims to help Victoria transition its resource recovery and reprocessing industry, as a result of the collapsed export market to China.

In June 2019, the state government of Victoria has announced a new A$34.9m (£19.2m) funding package for recycling reform to help reduce plastic pollution.

The new funding is intended to help create a more stable and productive recycling sector while improving the quality of recycled materials and developing new markets for recycled materials to be processed.

The package includes a $14.3m (£7.9m) Recycling Industry Development Fund, which targets secondary processing infrastructure for priority materials such as paper, cardboard, and plastics. It is expected to enhance the domestic remanufacturing capabilities of the region.

Additionally, the package includes a $13.8m ($7.6m) programme, which will provide incentives for new participants in the Victorian recycling market. It will help diversify the sector and leading to more investment in equipment and infrastructure upgrades.