The recent opening ceremony at the Laverton (Melbourne) site marked the culmination of a collaboration between Redwave and Visy, a glass recycler and manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand. T
With a processing capacity of 200,000 tonnes annually, the new plant will receive two-thirds of the input from kerbside mixed recycling collections (MRF Glass) and one-third from the newly established Victorian container deposit scheme (CDS Glass). On arrival, the glass is sorted into three different colours, down to three millimetres in size. This systematic sorting ensures a reliable supply of flint (clear), amber, and green glass for future glass production. The plant also maximises the use of by-products, minimising the impact on landfill and recovering valuable secondary materials. Remarkably, the sorting operates autonomously, eliminating the need for manual sorting.
Redwave has devised a solution to the unique challenges posed by glass-ceramics, which behave differently to ordinary glass when melted. Using its proprietary CX camera and lighting unit, the system separates glass-ceramics, ceramics, stones, porcelain, and off-colours through a multi-stage sorting process.
The implementation of Redwave mate smart plant software optimises plant efficiency by collecting and processing real-time production data. This data empowers operators and enables autonomous plant operation, all tailored to meet customer requirements. At the heart of this data collection are Redwave’s sorters, which act as data hubs to relay critical information to the software.
A follow-up contract to build another glass recycling facility at the Yatala site near Brisbane has been awarded. This project is already underway and is scheduled for completion in early 2025.
