Progress made on facility
THE company behind a proposed $12m Toowoomba tyre recycling facility says they are close to securing the funding required move the project forward.
Melbourne-based Green Distillation Technologies has been approved for the plant for several years, slated for a parcel of land inside Wagner Corp’s Wellcamp Business Park.
Once built, the plant would turn more than 658,000 vehicle tyres into high-value oil, carbon and steel every year.
But GDT failed to secure a $5m grant from the State Government last year, essentially putting the project on hold until funding was secured.
COO Trevor Bayley said he was cautiously optimistic the company would secure the cash in the final round of the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program, which would be announced next month.
“We believe it’s meant to finish this year, so we’re in it until the decision is made in September,” he said.
“We are eternally optimistic, we’ve got a good relationship with the people in charge.
“We’re confident we should have some good news in September.”
If funding was secured, Mr Bayley said GDT could have shovels in the ground as early as February next year.
“We are shovel-ready, but Wellcamp have got to do some work on the site first,” he said.
“Realistically, I think we would be starting to construct in February — I think that would be the earliest.”
Mr Bayley said the plant would be able to produce eight million litres of oil, 7.7 tonnes of black carbon and 2000 tonnes of steel a year.
“It will employ 14 to 18 people full time, as well as local contractors during the construction phase and create further jobs in transport associated with collection of end of life tyres from retailers and other outlets,” he said.