Steel Drum Recovory and Recycling Facility an Australian First
05/08/2009
The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, today opened a new drum recovery/recycling system that can safely remove hazardous wastes from steel drum containers and transform them into a high quality alternative fuel for use in the cement making process.
Minister Ferguson praised the potential of the project, located at Geocycle's Sustainable Waste Transformation plant in Dandenong, Victoria, which has been supported with $4 million of Australian Government funding through the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP) program.
Minister Ferguson said: "Geocycle's facility is an extraordinary achievement for Australia, giving domestic companies a state-of-the-art recycling facility that will act as a model for future facilities around the world".
"The liquid waste fuel manufactured by Geocycle acts as a replacement for traditionally non-renewable fossil based fuels such as coal, oils, and natural gas which will reduce CO2 emissions by 18 per cent.
"Geocycle's new system is an Australian first which has attracted international interest through the APP and support domestically from the Victorian Government.
"As an APP project, the new system will be used by Geocycle to demonstrate a 'cradle to the grave' solution to the ecologically sustainable disposal of hazardous waste which assists in reducing the carbon footprint of the cement industry.
"Even prior to its construction, this project has featured in an APP Seminar so that the international cement industry can get a first-hand account of a process that offers multiple benefits to industry, the community and the environment.
"I am very pleased to see Australia's cement industry leading the way in developing cleaner technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more competitive industry."