Cleanaway on track to achieve a more sustainable future for the Fraser Coast

Cleanaway, a Queensland based provider of sustainable waste management services, is diverting an additional 1,200 tonnes per annum of waste from landfill with the help of a $155,930 grant from the Queensland Government.

The grant from the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program (RRIDP), enabled Cleanaway to upgrade its $334,784 Hervey Bay-based Fraser Coast Material Recovery Facility (MRF). Two new operational roles were created and increased efficiencies and sustainability outcomes achieved through upgrading existing machinery and purchasing vital new equipment.

The facility accepts recyclable material from both the Gympie and Fraser Coast Regional Councils and processes aluminium, steel, mixed paper and cardboard and mixed plastics for distribution to offtake markets both locally and further afield.

Scott Campbell, Cleanaway Branch Manager for the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg, said the matched grant enabled the company to purchase not only additional conveyor belts, but also a trommel – a state-of-the-art recycling sorting machine.

It also allowed Cleanaway to upgrade a disc screen which is a key piece of equipment at the MRF.

“The grant and upgrade enable us to deliver on our commitment to operate in a way that makes a sustainable future possible,” Mr Campbell said.

“It has not only allowed us to recycle more material but has actually improved the quality of the recycled material we are outputting.”

The upgraded and new equipment started operations in January 2020.

The Queensland Jobs Fund brings together the Queensland Government’s current flagship industry development and investment programs to unlock growth, create jobs and strengthen Queensland’s economy.

Previously, the RRIDP sat within this fund. It has been replaced by the Queensland Recycling Modernisation Fund which invites new applicants to address the impact of export bans on waste plastics, mixed paper and cardboard, unprocessed glass and whole used tyres.