Australian Paper has announced plans to extend production to envelopes and printing paper at its newly-commissioned million recycling plant in Victoria.

Australia’s only premium waste paper recycling and de-inking plant was officially opened earlier this month at the company's Maryvale Mill in the Latrobe Valley.

The $90 million facility is already producing recycled copy paper but will extend into envelopes and printing in the near future.

“The environmental benefits of this project are significant,” Peter Williams, CEO of Australian Paper, said. “Importing recycled paper made overseas only adds to Australia’s landfill and also generates significant sea freight emissions. In contrast, removing 80,000 tonnes of waste paper from Australia’s landfill saves up to 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year which is equal to taking more than 70,000 cars off Australia’s roads.”

“The current Australian market demand for recycled content office papers is only one third of the new plant’s capacity, so we need everyone’s help to lift the demand for Australian-made recycled content paper and do the right thing for our local environment,” Williams said.

“We are committed to meeting the growing demand for premium, local recycled paper,” he said.  

“It is a vital part of our future operations and we thank everyone who has made this investment in regional Victorian manufacturing possible,” he added. “We received project funding from the federal and Victorian governments and letters of support for the project from Planet Ark, The Wilderness Society, Green Capital and a number of our key customers.

“In addition, the Australian Government has specified that it will purchase 100 per cent recycled papers from 1 July this year and we are hopeful that all federal and state government departments will recognise the sustainability advantages of Australian-made recycled paper over imports when making their purchase decisions,” he said.

 

stationerynews.com.au

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