Brightmark builds Australia’s first advanced recycling facility

US waste solutions provider Brightmark is building an advanced plastics renewal facility in Australia.

The largest facility of its type outside the US

The A$260 million facility is the first of its kind in the country and it is expected to create 100 jobs.

The facility will be based at the Parkes Special Activation Precinct in regional New South Wales. It will be able to process 200,000 tons of waste plastics. Brightmark will use a pyrolysis process to help break down all types of plastics (1-7) to produce a low-carbon, no-sulphur diesel, wax and naptha.

‘Brightmark is excited to expand our waste solution footprint into Australia, setting the new gold standard in advanced plastic recycling,’ says Bob Powell, Brightmark Founder and CEO.

‘We are excited to be building what will be the largest facility of its type outside of America,’ adds Shakil Rahman, Brightmark Senior Vice President, Global Plastics Development and Origination. ‘[The facility] will create import replacement products and assist Australia to lower its carbon footprint.’

Rose Read, from the University of Technology Sydney Institute for Sustainable Futures, told ABC Online that the process increased Australia’s ability to recycle plastic waste.

‘It means there is a whole range of plastics that previously couldn’t be recycled through the mechanical process will now be able to be recycled,’ she says.

Brightmark will build the facility in partnership with the NSW Government. The company expects to start construction in mid-2023. The plant is expected to be in operation by 2025.

Find out more about Australia’s circular economy.

Support from Austrade

Working as an integrated team, Austrade supported the Global Business and Talent Attraction Task Force. The integrated team worked with Regional Economic Development NSW and federal government agencies to attract, facilitate and support Brightmark’s investment in Australia.

This included:

• accelerated regulatory approvals
• introductions to suppliers and customers
• assistance with incentives and government financing
• market information
• extensive analysis of the policy barriers to entry for low-carbon fuels.

Introductions to key ecosystem stakeholders were also facilitated. These included CSIRO, who profiled Brightmark in its Advanced recycling technologies to address Australia’s plastic waste report (PDF, 4MB).

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