On Tuesday 1 March the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, the Hon. Paul Toole MP, announced the $260 million investment by an advanced plastics recycling business to be established in the Parkes Special Activation Precinct (SAP). This will be the first of its kind in Australia.
The landmark agreement with global plastics recycling company, Brightmark will bring strong economic growth and jobs to the region with 100 jobs available during construction and around 150 jobs once operational.
Mr Toole said, “Brightmark’s $260 million investment in Parkes sends a clear message to other global companies; Parkes is the perfect place to invest, now and into the future.”
“Parkes offers unparalleled access to the Australian markets, as the only intersection of Australia’s two major rail spines. The industrial precinct offers the potential for businesses to move their goods to 80 per-cent of the population, or through any number of international ports overnight. This is why the NSW Government invested $185.4 million to kick-off delivery of the Parkes SAP. It’s exciting to see the benefits of the precinct already coming to life,” Mr Toole added.
The Brightmark facility in Parkes will process 200,000 tonnes of plastic waste, diverting that waste from landfill, to create alternate usable plastic products that are delivered back into the circularity market, assisting Australia to lower its carbon footprint.
Plant construction will start mid-2023 and Brightmark is expected to be operational in Parkes by 2025.
Mayor of Parkes Shire Cr Ken Keith said, “Having a global investor on board is a demonstration of the success of the Parkes SAP. This is a very exciting time for Parkes and we believe that this investment will be the catalyst for many more. This is the start of a new era for the region,” said the Mayor.
Covering 4,800ha, the Parkes SAP has been ear-marked for a range of uses including freight and logistics, processing of food such as plant-based proteins, cold chain storage, warehousing, plastic and e-waste recycling and critical minerals processing.
Building on already-planned private and government investments, the precinct will create up to 3,000 new and ongoing jobs.
The precinct will focus on sustainability as Australia’s first UNIDO Eco-Industrial Park, where businesses will work together to achieve cost-savings and collaborate to solve problems including waste and water reuse as well as energy use and generation. Special Activation Precincts are being delivered by the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation and funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund.
