Demolition has begun on the old fire-gutted Materials Recovery Facility in Hume. Photo: ACT Government.
A new, high-tech recycling facility is finally on the way for Canberra – almost three years after the city’s original plant went up in flames on Boxing Day 2022.
The former Materials Recovery Facility in Hume was destroyed after multiple batteries inside a waste compactor went into ‘thermal runaway’ (a self-sustaining, escalating exothermic reaction in a battery cell), sparking a blaze in the early hours of the morning. The fire left the ACT without its own recycling plant, forcing the government to truck waste interstate ever since.
More than 46,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables a year – about nine truckloads a day – are currently sent to three facilities in Western Sydney and one in Victoria from the ACT.
Now, demolition of the damaged site has begun, clearing the way for a brand new $26 million facility, jointly funded by the Federal and ACT governments.
Due to start construction in 2026 and open by 2028, the new Hume facility will be able to process up to 115,000 tonnes of recycling every year – 50,000 tonnes more than the old plant.
French-owned company Veolia has been awarded the contract to design, build and operate the facility, and will run it for the next 20 years once it’s complete.
A render of the new Materials Recovery Facility. Image: ACT Government.
The ACT Government’s development agency, Infrastructure Canberra, says the facility comes with cutting-edge sorting technology, including screens to separate paper, laser-optical recognition with air jets to sort plastics, and powerful magnets to extract metals.
It will also include an education centre where schools and community groups can see recycling in action.
Needless to say, the facility has also been designed with “state-of-the-art fire detection, mitigation and control systems” to avoid a repeat of Boxing Day’s blaze.
“Non-recyclable or flammable items should not be disposed of in recycling bins, but it does happen from time to time, warranting the need for these additional safety measures,” Infrastructure Canberra said in a statement.
More than 100 jobs are expected to be created during construction, and around 24 permanent roles once operations begin.
Investigators determined that batteries were the cause of the 2022 fire. Photo: ACT Fire & Rescue.
Until then, most of ACT’s recyclables will continue to make the daily trip up the Hume Highway. Current contractor Re.Group will keep running the interim service until the new plant opens its doors.
The government also reminds the public to obey contractor exclusion zones and stay a safe distance away from the site while the demolition process is underway.
It also continues to run its campaign on how “batteries must never go in household waste or recycling bins”.
“When batteries are compressed and crushed in waste collection trucks and facilities, they can spark fires, putting staff lives, collection trucks, facilities and the environment at risk,” the government’s City Services website reads.
There are more than 50 battery drop-off points located around Canberra, run by the national scheme B-cycle. Find your closest on the B-cycle website.
