State-of-the-art plastics plant coming to Melbourne

Amcor Australia & New Zealand (Amcor ANZ) is partnering up with technology pioneer Licella Holdings to set up several advanced plastic recycling facilities in the region. 

The first recycling hub for soft plastic will be in Melbourne, according to the companies. It will have an initial processing capacity of 20 000 tonnes a year utilising Licella’s pioneering Cat-HTR technology. Plans have been approved by the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency.

Licella’s chemical recycling approach will yield 17 000 tonnes of oil per annum. Once optimised, the plant could divert up to 120 000 tonnes (around 25%) of the 500 000 tonnes of discarded plastics landfilled annually across Victoria.  

The new site is expected to help achieve Amcor’s 30% recycled content target across its portfolio by 2030. ‘We are proud to be able to help deliver a local supply of food-grade recycled content that can enable more customers to participate in a circular economy,’ says Mike Cash, president, Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific.

Amcor ANZ and Licella previously collaborated on a feasibility study which validated a local supply chain for food-grade recycled soft plastic and demonstrated the ‘critical’ economic and environmental benefits of the proposed facility.

Both parties will be undertaking further discussions on final terms and arrangements.