Recycling plant in Rocherlea proposed, will neighbour local football club, bushland
Documents from a development application show a metal recycling plant is proposed for Rocherlea, not far from a where another metal recycling site was ordered to shut operations in 2024.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A recycling facility has been proposed for Archer Street in Rocherlea in a small patch of general industrial zone nestled next to a recreation zone.
Documents submitted to the City of Launceston council show an application to use an existing site for recycling metal.
The location, 43-49 Archer Street is in an industrial area with the closest residential homes being off Lilydale Road, 150 metres away.
It is also near the Rocherlea Football Oval and Barnards Creek, around 300 metres away, the Tas Rail line also runs near the site.
The document states the site would process 25,000 tonnes per annum of ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal.
Ferrous means a metal containing iron, like stainless steel.
No shredding would happen at the site but would be transported to Melbourne.
The site is in Archer street which is a General Industrial Zone, with a Bushfire prone overlay.
On the site is a transport depot and distribution centre as well as an equipment machinery hire and sales.
There is an administration building, sheds, a gravel area for parking and a 1.8 high perimeter metal fence.
The company Sims Metal wants to close their two sites in Invermay and Bell Bay so they can have a single, centralised recycling location.
The site will take metal from the public, including manufacturing sources.
The application will be assessed by the Environmental Protection Authority because it has been classed as a Level 2 activity, meaning it doesn’t need a permit but an assessment.
The documents state valuable metals like copper will be in a shed. Only intact lead-acid batteries would be accepted and kept in a designated area.
Under the Tasmanian Environmental Protection Policy for air quality, the metal recycling yarn will not have any significant discharges concerning pollutants.
According to documents, there would only be limited potential for dust, odour and combustion products.
The site will only take “solid and relatively clean” metals, any heavily contaminated metals will not be accepted.
Nearby is also a large recycling facility and a concrete batching plant.
In 2024, Recycal, a recycling plant in Rocherlea was ordered to shut down due to lead traces in dust, however this plant had a metal shredder on site.
More Coverage
Originally published as Recycling plant in Rocherlea proposed, will neighbour local football club, bushland
‘Monster’ Huon pine log ‘represents the Tasmanian story’
The owner of a gargantuan Huon pine log now on display at a Hobart hotel says it’s “the most heavily burled log I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen quite a few”.
‘Essential infrastructure’: Devils make key stadium submission
The Tasmania Devils have lodged a submission regarding the Macquarie Point stadium to the state’s planning commission, describing the proposal as a “game-changer”.