The national Australian government and Queensland state government have joined forces with Brisbane-based company AusWaste Recycling to construct a waste paper recycling plant in Brendale, Queensland, Australia.

With an investment of $137m, the Australian Recycled Pulp and Paper Project will be built in South East Queensland.

The development has received $40m in combined funding from both governments via the Recycling Modernisation Fund.

In addition, the country's packaging industry is contributing $97m to the overall project expenses.

The funding is part of an overarching $1bn vision to improve recycling infrastructure in the country, aiming to add more than one million tonnes (t) of processing capacity nationwide each year.

The facility aims to convert 220,000t of waste paper and cardboard from Queensland and northern New South Wales into pulp for export.

It will convert various types of waste such as newspapers, coffee cups, milk cartons, and office paper, into value-added paper pulp for paper mills.

Construction of the facility is anticipated to commence in the middle of next year and is projected to be concluded by mid-2025.

The project is expected to create approximately 195 temporary construction jobs and 58 permanent jobs.

The factory is set to enhance Australia's position in the worldwide waste paper and cardboard recycling market while assisting in achieving Queensland's own waste recovery and recycling targets.

Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said: “The new facility will supercharge recycling in Queensland. It means that paper and cardboard waste, like egg cartons and cereal boxes, can be sorted and processed in Queensland.

“And this is just one of 24 recycling projects that we are funding across Queensland. These projects are creating [a total of] 740 jobs and will process an extra 364,000 tonnes of waste.”