PM visits Downer Reconomy facility

Downer’s Rosehill asphalt plant and Reconomy facility have received a visit from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews. The visit coincided with the government’s announcement of a $20 million commitment to innovative projects to grow Australia’s domestic recycling industry — Downer’s sustainable Reconophalt asphalt product was highlighted as an example.

While visiting the facility, Morrison highlighted the government’s support for recycling infrastructure, research and development, as well as positive purchasing.

Reconomy focuses on landfill diversion and repurposing materials to help achieve a circular economy. The facility in Rosehill, Sydney, features street-sweeping recycling technology from waste management solutions company CDEnviro.

The facility receives material from Sydney’s road network contracts for washing, separating and stockpiling. This material is then used in road construction and applied as asphalt to the road networks from where the material originated.

The lead of Downer’s Reconomy business, Jim Appleby, commented on the government visit: “It’s amazing to hear the government talking about turbocharging the recycling sector. We are really proud of this facility and how it’s transforming the way Australia sees ‘waste’, so it was great to demonstrate this to our Prime Minister and our Minister for Industry, Science and Technology.

“There’s recycling and then there’s revolutionary recycling and we want to demonstrate that revolutionary recycling is what the world needs.”

Image courtesy of CDEnviro