Visy chooses Redwave technology for glass recycling plant

Redwave has supplied sorting technology to Visy’s glass recycling facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Designed to process 200,000 tonnes of recycled glass per year, the facility will double Visy’s glass recycling capability in the Australian state of Victoria.

The recent opening ceremony at the Laverton (Melbourne) site marked the culmination of the partnership between Redwave and Visy.

Together, they have embarked on a project that aims to redefine glass recycling in Australia.

The advanced facility, equipped with the latest sorting technology, replaces the previous facility, and introduces a new approach to sustainable glass management.

Wayne Russell, Executive General Manager - Recycling at Visy, said: "At Visy, we are committed to closing the loop for glass in Victoria. By building our brand-new glass recycling facility with Redwave's world-class optical sorters, we've doubled the amount of glass we can recycle.

"Our partnership with Redwave means we have state-of-the-art equipment supported by a trusted and reliable technology partner."

As general contractor, Redwave was responsible for the entire process of design, engineering, delivery, installation, and commissioning, ensuring a maximum yield of cullet.

Silvia Schweiger-Fuchs, Redwave CEO, said: "We take pride in Redwave's contribution to reducing glass landfilling in Australia. With our exceptional sorting quality, we can now reintroduce this glass into the recycling loop, facilitating the creation of new bottles."

Glass processing

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.

The sorting operates autonomously, eliminating the need for manual sorting.

Sensor technology

Redwave has devised a solution to the 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.

Redwave mate smart plant

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.

Digital sales landscape

Navigating this plant sale during the global pandemic required innovation.

Therefore, Redwave made the entire sales process digital.

All interactions, including reference visits and sorting tests, were conducted virtually, bridging distances of 16,000 kilometres and an eight-hour time difference.

Follow-up order

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.