Global metals, plastics recycling HQ moves to Brisbane
One of Australia’s biggest and most successful scrap recyclers will build a new pilot plant and head office in Brisbane, creating dozens of new jobs.
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Sims Limited has announced it will base the headquarters for its new global recycling venture in Murarrie and build a pilot plant at Rocklea that will divert millions of tonnes of waste from landfill.
The technology refined at the pilot plant will eventually be used around the world to transform one million tonnes a year of shredded metal, currently dumped in landfill, into building materials, clean energy and recycled plastic products.
The head office of the new global program, Sims Resource Renewal, will be based at the Murarrie, creating five new jobs.
Another 15 new jobs will be created during the construction of the pilot resource renewal plant next year at the company’s Dunn Rd, Rocklea recycling facility. Countless supply chain and R&D roles will also flow from the project.
Sims currently employs about 170 people in Queensland.
A company spokesman said Sims’ aim was to create a “world without waste’’ which would also support more jobs in Australia and at the company’s plants around the world.
Councillor Steve Griffiths (Moorooka) and Federal MP for Brisbane, Trevor Evans, said it was an exciting opportunity for the area.
The technology will turn ASR — the material left over from recycling metal-based goods such as cars, washing machines and shopping trolleys — into building aggregate and a synthetic gas.
By 2030, Sims also hoped to expand the technology to 11 recycling plants around the world and use the synthetic gas to make the building blocks for plastics.
Sims Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Alistair Field, the company wanted to “take care of today’s waste so it is not left for future generations to manage’’.
“Over the last decade, Sims has recycled in excess of 110 million tonnes of material globally,’’ Mr Field said.
“This announcement progresses our efforts one step closer to creating a truly closed loop
business model and achieving our purpose: create a world without waste to preserve our planet.
“In addition to the environmental benefits created through Sims Resource Renewal, our
resource renewal facilities will create new jobs and industry development opportunities in local communities, which will be particularly important as we work together to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.’’
Group Chief Technology Officer, Brendan McDonnell, said they would use a process called plasma gasification, which used high temperatures in a controlled manner to break down the ASR into its basic compounds, producing synthetic gas and a glass-like product.
“Modern plasma gasification technology is used safely around the world and our designs will be based on European emissions standards, the current global emissions benchmark,’’ he said.
“We’ve chosen InEnTec as the technology partner for our first resource renewal facility.
“The technology has operated safely throughout the US and Asia since 1997.’’
More details at: simsrr.com