ARRC Gold Coast calls for market certainty on plastics

Australia sends about 2.7 million tonnes of plastic to landfill each year, including one million tonnes of packaging, according to the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR).

For decades, the case against remanufacturing plastic in Australia rested on the following facts: imported virgin plastic resin was cheap, plentiful and reliable. Today, only the price advantage remains.

Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC) Gold Coast Asset Strategy Manager Josh Evans said global geopolitical instability and supply chain disruption is changing the arithmetic.

“Trade routes are exposed to shocks half a world away, and the certainty that once underpinned our plastics import model is eroding,” Evans said. “For a country willing to build sovereign capability in plastics remanufacturing, there is now a genuine opportunity.

“Australia has the material and the capability to recycle plastics at scale.

“What we need now is the market certainty to drive infrastructure investment and turn that potential into long-term sovereign capability.”

Evans will speak at the Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre (SPW CRC) Annual Partners Conference, where ARRC Gold Coast CEO Grant Gabriel will deliver the keynote address.

Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC) Gold Coast Asset Strategy Manager Josh Evans. Image: Supplied

“That market gap is real and worth naming: locally recycled plastic still costs more than imported alternatives,” Evans explained. “Without certainty, recyclers risk exiting the market and new facilities may not be built. Rebuilding this industry and expertise would be slow and expensive.”

Locally recycled plastic still costs more than imported virgin resin, and a 2025 federal industry survey put utilisation of Australia’s recycling infrastructure at about 53% — forecast to fall to 32% by 2030 if the market failure is not addressed.

ARRC Gold Coast is backing industry calls for an extended producer responsibility scheme with mandated Australian recycled content requirements and stronger product design specifications.

ACOR modelling suggests the reforms could redirect 370,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from landfill annually, cut emissions by 0.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) and add $2.5 billion in economic activity.

ARRC is planning a new materials recovery facility and investigating the viability of a plastics recycling facility at its Stapylton precinct, where ARRC Organics is already operating and ARRC Recycling is in design.

Evans will speak at 1 pm on Thursday, 20 August at the three-day conference. For more information, visit the SPW CRC conference program.

Top image: Supplied