Plasterboard is 100% recyclable. In the Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast regions there have been limited options for generators of plasterboard waste, or for collectors of mixed C&D waste streams, to recycle this material. Plasterboard is a costly and wasted resource when sent to landfill.
Available data suggests there is an estimated 2,600 tonne of waste plasterboard being generated in the Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast regions from new dwelling
constructions. The majority of this material still going to landfill. Add in the volume of waste plasterboard generated from demolition, commercial fit-out, shop fit-out, major infrastructure and redevelopment projects, and the total tonnage that could be diverted from landfill is significantly higher.
As a facilitator under the Circulate, NSW EPA Industrial Ecology Program, Cross Connections undertook research and engaged stakeholders across the supply chain to
understand the opportunities and challenges in diverting waste plasterboard from landfill. Industrial ecology is when one businesses waste or by-products become another
businesses feedstock. Landfill costs in NSW have increased significantly in recent years and that trend is expected to continue. In response, many businesses producing plasterboard waste in Sydney are redirecting this material (directly or via waste management companies) to Regyp, a Sydney based reprocessor. Regyp can accept plasterboard for recycling for a gate fee cost which is significantly less than current NSW landfill gate fee charges. Regyp currently reprocesses mixed plasterboard into products that can be used in agricultural applications. This is done under existing NSW EPA resource recovery exemptions and provides a lawful pathway to recycle
plasterboard. As part of the research, Cross Connections identified that no local aggregation or recovery infrastructure/facilities existed in the Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast regions. A barrier to recovery has been the perceived cost, time and viability of separating, collecting and transporting plasterboard to facilities like Regyp.
Cross Connections has facilitated the establishment of aggregation points at five (5) NSW EPA licensed facilities. These facilities now accept either mixed and/or source separated end-of-life plasterboard and offcuts, for recycling. Located across the region to facilitate recovery of plasterboard, they are:
- Benedicts Recycling (Mayfield West)
- Central Waste Station (Kurri Kurri)
- Concrush (Teralba)
- Hunter Valley Skips (Tomago)
- Remondis (Thornton)
In addition to the Newcastle and Hunter Valley facilities, generators on the Central Coast now have a new local option with a waste management business providing separate bins for plasterboard collection. Another option being explored is the on-site separation and collection of plasterboard material in bulk bags. This method of collection has been successful in both Melbourne and Sydney and it is envisaged this could provide a viable cost alternative for those wishing to source separate without the additional bin hire cost.
- Direct and immediate cost savings
- Improved environmental and sustainability outcomes
- New business model for aggregation and collection
- Waste plasterboard as a resource not a waste
- Improved data on wastage rates to assist in resource efficiency assessments.