Waste to Value: A Manufacturing Opportunity for Regional WA
Advanced waste recycling presents Western Australia with an opportunity to create a new regional manufacturing industry that converts tyres, biomass and other waste into renewable fuels and valuable products. Early projects can establish the skills, infrastructure, supply chains and commercial expertise needed for wider industry growth, while supporting skilled employment, regional economic diversification, fuel security and reduced reliance on landfill and imported fuels.
BE&R’s recent work on Carbon Recycle’s proposed Collie Tyre Pyrolysis Plant and other renewables energy studies has provided insight into how an initial plant can lay the foundations for a much larger manufacturing industry.
Key cost challenges in developing this emerging manufacturing industry include:
- Aggregation and sorting of feedstocks
- Transport of bulk feedstock and products
- Salaries and wages for plant personnel
- The learning curve for “new to WA” technology
The high cost of aggregation and sorting can be addressed through advanced machines and robotics as is being achieved in China and other countries.
The high cost of transport is likely to encourage the adoption of more economical modes of transport and the diversification of plants towards the sources of feedstock.
The relatively high cost of labour is also likely to encourage the adoption of higher levels of automation, which will lead to a greater requirement for more high-skilled labour.
The learning curve for new technologies can be steep. As the industry evolves, lessons from the initial projects will enable more efficient development of future plants.
There is potential to develop a range of renewable manufacturing plants in WA. These include plants converting:
- End-of-life tyres into recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil
- Agricultural and forestry residues into biochar, renewable fuels and energy
- Municipal solid waste and difficult-to-recycle plastics into fuels or electricity
- Organic waste into biogas and biomethane
- Sewage sludge into energy and carbon products
- Scrap steel into reinforcing bar
- Used oils and fats into renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel
Together, these projects could form regional resource-recovery hubs that produce multiple valuable products while reducing landfill and strengthening Western Australia’s fuel and energy security.
These plants will require various skills, some of which may not be readily available in the regions where these plants will be located.
| Area | Potential Jobs and Skills |
| Logistics | Truck driving and materials handling EV truck servicing |
| Process Plant Operation | Process operators, including reactor operators Control room operators Laboratory technicians and product chemists Mechatronics technicians Maintenance trades Instrument, control and automation technicians HSE |
| Product Sales and Exports | Product quality control Export planning, marketing |
| Administration | Supervision and Management HR Administrative services |
| Plant Construction | A range of construction trades |
A key challenge is finding development sites that are commercially viable, have the required industrial zoning, have the potential workforce to meet the plant’s needs, and best serve the future growth of the supply and product chains.
These manufacturing industries could strengthen regional self-reliance, reduce dependence on imported fuels, improve fuel security, and provide diversity of employment. More advanced processing of waste could also lead to the advanced processing of other materials, such as bio-oils and mined ores.
The opportunity is there for regional communities to diversify beyond agricultural and mining jobs.
Continued government support could include accelerated approvals, assistance with port and power access, workforce training, enhanced funding for early-stage development, and, where appropriate, targeted government-guaranteed offtake arrangements.
While centralised processing offers technical and logistical advantages, the high cost of land in established heavy industrial areas such as Kwinana strengthens the case for developing suitably located regional industrial sites.
International experience indicates that competitiveness is built by developing an entire commercial ecosystem, including education, research, specialist services, component manufacturing and supply chains, rather than focusing on a single plant.
WA’s first advanced recycling projects should be assessed on their standalone economics AND their potential to develop the skills, knowledge, supply chains and commercial ecosystems needed to support a successful regional manufacturing industry.
