Paper, packaging, and recycling company Visy has unveiled a major $50 million upgrade to its glass recycling factory in Laverton, Melbourne.

The project will double Visy’s glass recycling capability in Victoria, recycling up to 200,000 tonnes of glass annually – the equivalent to 150 bottles and jars for every Victorian, every year.

The Laverton factory will use 20 new state-of-the-art optical cameras to sort glass down to three millimetres in size, keeping more glass in the circular economy. The old facility could process glass 10 millimetres in size or larger.

Its primary focus is to collect and process materials through Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), currently in operation, along with the introduction of new kerbside glass bins across the state.

The processed glass will find new life at Visy’s Spotswood factory, home to Victoria’s only glass container furnace, where it will be remanufactured into fresh jars, bottles, and containers.

The upgrade aligns with Visy’s 2021 commitment to invest $2 billion over 10 years in sustainable Australian manufacturing, contributing to the reduction of landfill, emissions, and the creation of job opportunities.

Visy chair Anthony Pratt said the the upgrade is a step towards manufacturing glass bottles and jars with an average of 70 per cent recycled content aligning Visy’s efforts with broader environmental sustainability goals and contributing to a more circular economy in Victoria.

“Using recycled content in glass manufacturing lowers greenhouse gas emissions,” said Pratt.