Materials Recovery Facility
Background
In December 2019, Council adopted the business case to establish a best practice Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at its existing West Nowra Waste Management Precinct, to process commingled recycling. The key objectives of the MRF are:
- produce high quality, sorted and separated recyclable products
- control recycling within our region, reducing the dependency on external and third-party services
- provide greater flexibility to adapt to market changes
- improve Council’s landfill diversion rate
- assist in the transition towards a circular economy
- increased employment opportunities for local residents.
About the project
A MRF is comprised of several different mechanical, electronic and manual sorting processes which separate the commingled recycling stream (i.e. contents of the yellow lid kerbside recycling bin) into individual material types.
This is achieved by both identifying materials suitable for recycling and removing those that are not.
Recyclable materials are sourced from Councils’ yellow bin kerbside collections, waste depots and commercial collections.
The MRF spans an area of almost one hectare. It will have a processing rate of 15 tonnes per hour and an expected annual capacity of 24,720 tonnes. As the market demands better quality products, Council’s establishment of a MRF, utilising best practice technology, ensures its success and longevity in the recycling industry. This investment in innovative technologies see Shoalhaven City Council as a leader in waste management and recycling.
The MRF is expected to be commissioned in mid to late 2025.