New Fraser Coast recycling sorting centre officially opened

A new era in recycling for the Fraser Coast has begun with the official opening of a state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Maryborough today.

The $31 million centre, located at the Maryborough Landfill, is three times larger than the previous site in Dundowran and uses advanced technology to sort recyclables faster and more accurately.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the new facility would reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and improve the region’s recycling rates.

“This new MRF gives us the capacity to do more with our waste – not just sort it, but find new ways to reuse and recycle it,” he said.

“That could mean turning plastic into park benches, or cardboard into kitty litter. It’s all about keeping materials in use for longer and sending less to landfill.”

While the facility is now officially open, testing will continue over the coming weeks to check equipment and fine-tune processes. The full transition from the old Dundowran facility to Maryborough will occur in May.

The new MRF includes an expanded education room to help residents, school students and community groups learn how to recycle correctly and reduce contamination in household bins.

Cr Seymour said education remained a vital part of Council’s waste strategy.

“Everyone can play a role in reducing waste. Household sorting matters,” he said.

“To get the best results, we need everyone to put the right items in the right bin before they reach the new facility. That’s why we encourage residents to use tools like the Recycle Mate app, which provides location-specific disposal advice for thousands of items.”

In 2023/24, the Dundowran MRF processed about 7,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables from the kerbside collection of yellow-lid recycling bins – about half of which was paper and cardboard. Other materials recovered included glass, aluminium and steel.

More information is available at www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/recycling