Construction has begun on Canberra’s new recycling facility at Hume, but the ACT Greens have criticised the government’s failure to include soft plastics recycling in the project.

The new Materials Recovery Facility will replace the plant destroyed by fire in 2022, restoring the ACT’s capacity to process mixed recyclables locally.

Since the fire, about 50,000 tonnes of Canberra’s recyclable materials have been transported interstate for processing each year.

The new facility will be capable of receiving up to 115,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables annually, including paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, steel and aluminium.

It will feature advanced sorting technology, improved fire protection systems and an education space for schools and community groups.

The project, jointly funded by the ACT and Australian governments, is being delivered by Veolia and is expected to take about 18 months to complete, with operations scheduled to begin in 2028.

However, ACT Greens leader Jo Clay says the facility will not accept soft plastics, leaving Canberra households without a free and convenient public recycling option.

Clay welcomed the start of construction but criticised the delay in replacing the previous facility and called on the government to outline its plans for soft plastics recycling.

“Government should not expect Canberrans to pay to arrange and pay to recycle soft plastic,” she says.

The Greens also criticised the federal government’s decision to shelve proposed mandatory national packaging laws, which they say would have required producers to contribute to recycling costs.

The Hume project also includes upgrades to Recycling Road to improve access and traffic movements within the resource recovery estate.

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