Since publication of the blog on Material Recovery Facilties (MRFs) there have been some recent developments in the Hunter.
Major waste management company, Remondis, has announced that the Tomago Resource Recovery Facility will be expanded from a capacity of 55,000 tonnes per annum to 100,000 tpa at a cost of $22 million.
In more good news, Newcastle Council has announced the funding for a $40 million expansion at the Summerhill Waste management facility. The new facility will enable Newcastle Council to recycle waste glass, plastic, tyres, paper and cardboard in the local area.
Since Australia lost the ability to send troublesome waste overseas as a result of bans by several countries and the Federal Government legislation to curb exports there has been some progress in processing materials locally. A recent production by ABC Television explains some of the problems experienced in sorting and recycling plastics and glass.