New report confirms potential for Australia's first advanced recycling plant

Australia-based specialist in commercial advanced hydrothermal liquefaction technology, Licella, together with Amcor, Coles, iQ Renew, LyondellBasell and Nestlé, released a report analysing the feasibility of establishing an advanced recovery facility based on the technology in Altona, Victoria
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There is currently no such facility in Australia; in other words, if built, it will be the first of its kind
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The aim is to create a recycling pathway for food and other flexible packaging that cannot be mechanically recycled, and to produce enough recycled material to keep up with expected demand growth
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Australia's national packaging target requires industry to use an average of 50% recycled materials in packaging by 2025, so demand for recycled materials, especially food-grade plastics, is expected to surge
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The proposed advanced recovery facility will use Licella's Cat-HTR (Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor) hydrothermal liquefaction technology
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Hydrothermal liquefaction technology utilizes water at high pressure and temperature to cost-effectively convert various "waste" biomass and plastics into high-quality, sustainable oil
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According to Licella, it is a direct replacement for fossil crude oil
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According to the report, using oil from waste plastic in the local plastic packaging supply chain will reduce CO2 emissions by 64% compared to using crude oil
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The facility will initially process 20,000 tons of plastic waste per year and generate 17,000 tons of oil per year
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Over time, its capacity will be expanded to 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year - about 24 per cent of the waste plastic sent to landfill in Victoria alone - and produce nearly 100,000 tonnes of recycled plastic annually Food-grade plastics provide raw materials
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In addition, the new facility, if completed, will boost local industry, potentially creating more than 300 new jobs in Victoria over the next five years
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The facility could also contribute more than $100 million a year to Victoria's economy, the study found
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The report is the result of a feasibility study showing that in order to meet its national waste policy commitments, a system-wide transformation is required, driven by those local initiatives described in the report
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Collaboration between industry and government is critical to driving this change
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