Queensland’s Gold Coast will be the host of a project which will transform waste, including coffee cups, used beverage cartons, such as juice poppers, and soft plastics into high-performance building materials.

saveBOARD’s project has received more than $1.7 million in grant funding from the QRMF which supports new projects diverting waste plastics, glass, paper and cardboard and tyres to manufacture into new commercial products.

The QRMF is a joint initiative of the Federal and Queensland Governments with a combined investment of $40 million.

Queensland industries involved in the initiative contribute at least half of project costs, delivering in excess of $80 million in new investment for Queensland.

Federal Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek said the Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund is turbocharging Australia’s circular economy to divert waste from landfill.

“To power Queensland’s circular economy, we need cutting edge waste management and recycling like this new facility which will remanufacture packaging into building materials.

Queensland Minister for the Environment Meaghan Scanlon said more than 150,000 tonnes of waste will be kept out of landfill annually through the Queensland Recycling Modernisation Fund and channelled into increasing the amount of recycled content in manufacturing.

“With this funding, saveBOARD in particular expects to divert 3,250 tonnes of waste away from landfill each year.

“Their new facility will divert used beverage cartons collected through the Container Exchange refund points, soft plastics and other mixed fibre materials such as coffee cups into low-carbon building products that are substitutes for plaster board, particle board and plywood.

“By supporting re-using, recycling and remanufacturing here in Queensland, it’ll help achieve our goal to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill and hit 65 per cent recycling by 2030.

“We want to stop as much waste as possible from ending up landfill, and in turn increase recycling, create new products and drive down the impact we have on the environment. These new projects certainly tick these boxes.

“Once operational, all projects under the QRMF are expected to create a total of more than 300 good, new recycling industry jobs.”