TIMBERLINK TO BUILD $12M WOOD -PLASTIC
COMPOSITE PRODUCTION PLANT AT BELL BAY

AMBITIOUS PROJECT WILL UPCYCLE PLASTIC WASTE AND PLANTATION SAWMILL RESIDUES

LEADING timber product manufacturer Timberlink will use a $5.8 million joint federal and state grant to support building a $12 million bio-composite plant at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania.

The grant was announced by federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, Tasmanian Minister for Environment Roger Jaensch and Bass MP Bridget Archer.

The grant was awarded from the Tasmanian Recycling Modernisation Fund (Plastics) Grants Program.

The bio-composite plant will produce wood plastic composites that will upcycle plastic waste and plantation timber mill residues, producing decking and screening for commercial and residential applications.

Timberlink intends to source the recycled HDPE (a type of plastic) for the core of the product from Tasmania, utilising existing industry capability and ensuring that the feedstock for the plant where possible is a “Tasmanian on-island solution” with products to be marketed in Tasmania and the mainland.

Timberlink’s executive general manager marketing and corporate affairs David Oliver said at full production the project will divert HDPE plastic from landfill at an equivalent to an about 83% increase over current HDPE recycled in Tasmania based on FY19 levels.

The project is shovel ready and will commence immediately.

Timberlink intends to have the project completed and in production by December 2022. The project significantly enhances Australia’s sovereign capability to manufacture this type of product in the most environmentally friendly way,

Sussan Ley said the project would “help to protect the environment, boost the economy and create jobs”.

The energy to power the plant will be sourced from Tasmanian Hydro Power and a solar farm located on the roof of the new facility. Rainwater tanks will be installed to harvest rainwater and for cooling in the manufacturing process.

The wood plastics composite plant will create 20 new jobs during the construction phase and 11 at full production.

The wood plastic composite market is projected to reach $US5.74 billion this year, growing at an annual growth rate of 12.2% from 2020 to 2026.

The market is driven by high availability of non-utilised plastic and wood wastes, rising demand for sustainable construction materials, and stringent regulations on the use of chemicals in building materials.