PM announces Federal Government funding for Southern Materials Recovery Facility in Adelaide

It’s been a very exciting time in the lead up to opening the Southern Materials Recovery Facility (SMRF) at Seaford Heights in South Australia, with a visit from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and two funding announcements, while construction was underway. In March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the SMRF to announce $5.35 million funding support from the Australian Government Community Development Grant Programme, allowing the facility to process up to 60,000 tonnes of household recyclables from the region. The facility is a jointly-owned by Re.Group and the Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA). Together we aim to create a more resilient recycling sector for all of South Australia.

$5.35MILLIONFunding support from the Australian Government Community Development Grant Programme

In March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the SMRF to announce $5.35 million funding support from the Australian Government Community Development Grant Programme, allowing the facility to process up to 60,000 tonnes of household recyclables from the region. The facility is a jointly-owned by Re.Group and the Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA). Together we aim to create a more resilient recycling sector for all of South Australia.

The Prime Minister was joined by Member for Boothby the Hon. Nicolle Flint MP, Member for Mayo the Hon. Rebekah Sharkie MP along with representatives from each of the SRWRA member councils, City of Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson, City of Marion Mayor Kris Hanna and City of Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson.

$3.1MILLIONAnnounced by Green Industries South Australia for ‘phase 2’ of 
the project

An additional $3.1 million funding was announced by Green Industries South Australia for ‘phase 2’ of the project as part of the. The additional funds will be used to install additional robotic sorting and quality control systems, as well as optical sorting to recover glass cullet and further improve the quality of recovered materials. This funding contribution is shared by the South Australian and Australian Governments through the Recycling Modernisation Fund.

The targeted investment from Re.Group, SRWRA, the State and Federal Governments means that household recyclables from southern Adelaide will soon be processed through a new best-practice recycling facility, which will increase the value of material in the yellow bin and meet Australia’s commitment to building the nation’s recycling capacity and stopping the international export of low-value material.

None of this would have been possible without our joint venture partner, SRWRA and its constituent councils the Cities of Marion, Holdfast Bay and Onkaparinga. Speaking at the visit from the Prime Minister, SRWRA Chair Mark Booth said the project was thanks to the collaboration and partnership fostered between local government and private enterprise.

“The strategic need for a recycling facility south of Adelaide, and for increased recycling capacity across the state of South Australia, has been understood for years; the leadership shown here means we can now make this project a reality,” said Mr Booth.

The SMRF is expected to employ 18 people on a full-time basis for the next 20 years. These jobs require advanced manufacturing skills, and will see staff using cutting-edge technology to process the region’s recyclables. Re.Group Managing Director, David Singh said that these opportunities were vital in a jobs market recovering from COVID-19 and its associated restrictions.

“We’re really pleased to be in the business of improving recycling and creating new jobs in Adelaide. There’s a strong history of manufacturing and technology in the state and we’re really looking forward to tapping into the talent and capabilities of South Australians to improve recycling rates and resource recovery in the region,” said Mr. Singh.

The SMRF represents an investment of over $25 million on the Adelaide region, which will result in resilience in the state’s waste management and resource recovery capabilities.

The team at RDT Engineering have been constructing the SMRF, which is designed by our recycling specialists to ensure that outputs from the facility are ‘COAG Export Ban-ready’, and meet the highest quality standards. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, the facility is on-track to be operational by the end of July, 2021.