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Alex Fraser glass recycling site under threat

Alex Fraser has called on Kingston City Council to extend the operating permit for its glass and C&D recycling site, as one million tonnes of recyclables risk going to landfill.

Alex Fraser recycles problem glass waste from kerbside collections, and construction waste, diverting them from landfill to make construction materials urgently needed for Victoria’s ‘Big Build’ infrastructure projects.

In 2015, Kingston’s industrial area was rezoned to be green wedge, with conditions preventing waste management operations on the land.

Since then, Alex Fraser has been actively working with the Victorian Government and its agencies to identify potential alternative locations.

Peter Murphy, Alex Fraser Group Managing Director, said that there is no way Alex Fraser will be able to find a suitable alternative location by 2023.

“Unfortunately, there are no viable alternative sites, and so we’re asking Kingston City Council for more time,” Mr. Murphy said.

“We need more time so we can continue to recycle until we can relocate, to avoid adding to Victoria’s recycling and resources crises.”

One of the key reasons is a need for Alex Fraser to be located within a reasonable/commercial viable proximity to sources of construction and demolition waste.

“Using recycled material in infrastructure is only possible with facilities like Clarinda that are close to our cities – where waste is generated, and where major projects are underway,” Mr. Murphy said.

Alex Fraser supplies recycled construction materials to projects including the Level Crossing Removal Projects, Monash Freeway Upgrade, Thompsons Road Upgrade, and the Hallam Road Upgrade. It is also ideally located to supply the planned Suburban Rail Loop, South Eastern Roads Upgrade and Mordialloc Freeway.

Other prominent considerations are the scale of the 22-hectare site, quality road network and its well screened nature with appropriate fencing and native foliage.

Alex Fraser’s application to Kingston City Council, lodged in September this year, seeks a 15-year extension of its operating permit.

“Unfortunately, there are no viable alternative sites, and so we’re asking Kingston City Council for more time,” Mr. Murphy said.

“We need more time so we can continue to recycle until we can relocate, to avoid adding to Victoria’s recycling and resources crises.”

Mr. Murphy said that Victorians want certainty about what’s happening with their waste. A decision is expected from council this year and if Alex Fraser is denied an extension, it may have to scale back its recycling.

“If this key recycling facility is shut down in 2023, it would significantly impact on Victoria’s recycling capability, and cut the supply of construction materials that are helping to build Victoria.”

Without an extension of the site from council, the site will shut down. An application must be lodged in 2020 and in the absence of any further action, the site would cease operations.

“Victoria is already in a recycling crisis – this would only make matters worse,” Mr. Murphy said.

Kerbside glass is at the heart of Victoria’s recycling crisis – the state government recently supported the improvement of the Clarinda facility recycling capability. This will enable the recycling of 200 million broken glass bottles. The site’s closure would mean they go to landfill instead.

“If we’re shut down, it would also mean Victoria loses access to one million tonnes a year of recycled resources needed to complete major infrastructure projects in Melbourne’s south east. A major metropolitan quarry would have to be established to extract the same volume of resources,” Mr. Murphy said.

Kingston Mayor Georgina Oxley confirmed the council received an application this week (Tuesday 3 September 2019) which seeks to extend operations at the Alex Fraser site in Kingston’s green wedge.

“In 2015, Kingston Council welcomed protections for Kingston’s green wedge that were introduced by the Victorian Planning Minister that would ensure existing waste operations would cease at the end of their current permits and that no new operations would be allowed,” Ms Oxley said.

“Council wrote to the Planning Minister in April 2015 calling on the Government to help Alex Fraser find an alternative site to ensure its long-term success while ensuring the end of waste-related activities in the green wedge. Invest Victoria has been working with Alex Fraser to identify suitable alternative sites.

“Council strongly supports the recycling sector and has a range of successful recycling business operating outside the green wedge within its industrial zoned areas.”

A Victorian Government spokesperson said the permit decision is currently a matter for Kingston City Council.

“We recognise the important contribution Alex Fraser makes to the recycling sector but also the concerns of local residents,” the spokesperson said.

“We’ll continue to work with both the council and Alex Fraser on resolving this matter.”

You can read the full story next month in our October edition.


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