Another company has falsely claimed it is Australia’s only mercury treatment plant.
In this Pilbara News article, New Zealand-based business Contract Resources has been touted as “Australia’s only mercury treatment plant” in an announcement that it will construct a LNG waste processing facility in Karratha, Western Australia. This comes after Dutch company BMT claimed it has no competitors in mercury treatment in Australia.
Both companies overlook the fact that Ecocycle has been delivering an outstanding environmental dividend for Australia by recycling mercury, including from the gas and petrochemical industry, for more than 20 years.
Local solution available all along
Included in the information provided by Contract Resources is a particularly disturbing reference to LNG producers relying on local long-term storage and international transportation of hazardous waste by-products.
“To know that gas and oil companies have been opting for storage and export to deal with their mercury-containing waste, with all the risks that entails, when there has been a highly respected local solution all along is really galling,” said Ecocycle Business Development Manager Daryl Moyle.
Slow progress to excess capacity?
The cost of the plant has been put, variously, at $12.5 million and $20 million. Either way, progress has been slow.
Contract Resources initially claimed the plant would be built during 2017. However, the company now expects the plant won’t be completed until 2018.
Complicating the picture is the recent acquisition of Contract Resources parent company, Hellaby Holdings, by Bapcor Limited – an auto parts and accessories business.
Bapcor is in the process of off-loading Contract Resources to an as yet unknown buyer, and it remains to be seen what their credentials and intentions are.
Contract Resources’ plant is reported to have a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of waste per year.
BMT are building their plant on the basis that mercury-containing waste generated by Australia’s oil and gas industries amounts to 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes per annum.
However, information made available to Ecocycle by industry indicates catalyst waste amounts to less than 300 tonnes a year.
“This points to over-investment and excess capacity in the resource extraction sector of the mercury recycling industry,” said Mr Moyle.
“Ecocycle isn’t a one-trick pony. We recycle mercury from a wide range of industries, and are not solely reliant on the resources sector for our viability.”
Recycle responsibly now
Australia’s oil and gas companies don’t need to wait for new mercury recycling plants to be built. Nor do they need to stockpile highly hazardous waste and wait until it is viable to ship it overseas.
Ecocycle is recycling, responsibly, right now.
To find out how we can help your business with recycling a range of products from mercury, to batteries, mining waste, lighting and dental and medical items, call us on 1300 32 62 92 or send us a note via the contact form below.
