The Maryvale Energy from Waste (EfW) project has achieved another major milestone with EPA Victoria approving an $8 million Bottom Ash Recycling facility to be constructed, co-located with the Maryvale EfW facility.
It is the first facility of its kind to be approved for construction in the state will efficiently and safely process bottom ash, recovering a range of metals before transferring them for recycling.
The remaining inert materials will be suitable for processing in the manufacture of Maryvale Recycled Aggregate (MRA), a product that can be used in road construction as a sustainable alternative to traditional asphalt. MRA will be a safe and high quality lightweight recycled aggregate, unique to the Maryvale EfW facility. The recycled aggregate will be aligned with VicRoads Class 3 and Class 4 aggregate performance standards, which are used in Victorian road construction.
Opal, Veolia and Masdar Tribe Australia are planning to construct this state-of-the-art EfW facility at Opal Australian Paper’s Maryvale Mill in the Latrobe Valley.
The EfW facility will use non-recyclable residual waste to produce steam and electricity to supply the mill.
During construction, the Bottom Ash Recycling facility is expected to create 25 jobs. Once operational, the facility is expected to support 10 direct ongoing roles. These would be in addition to the hundreds of direct and flow-on Victorian jobs supported by the EfW facility.
Veolia business development general manager Jonathan Mayberry said securing the EPA approval to build a Bottom Ash Recycling facility marked a positive development for the project.
“EfW facilities are a proven and reliable solution that derive valuable energy from non-recyclable residual waste”, he said.
“Of the 325,000 tonnes of waste the Maryvale facility will accept every year, some 96 per cent will be diverted away from landfill. Approval to integrate the Bottom Ash Recycling facility further strengthens the project’s environmental credentials by allowing approximately 60,000 tonnes of aggregates and approximately 6,000 tonnes of metals to be recycled and recovered.”
Opal general manager of corporate development and strategic projects David Jettner said integrating the Bottom Ash Recycling facility further strengthens the Maryvale EfW project’s alignment with circular economy principles.
“The Bottom Ash Recycling facility will create additional jobs and add economic value for the Latrobe Valley. Importantly, together with the Maryvale EfW facility, it will bring innovative and emerging industries to the region,” Jettner added.
