A $5.35 million federal grant will extend the development of a 'best-practice' household recycling facility for the Fleurieu Peninsula and southern suburbs.

The Community Development Grant Program funding was announced this week by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who toured the facility site at McLaren Vale last Wednesday 31 March.

He was accompanied by the Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie, Federal Member for Boothby Nicolle Flint and the Mayors of Onkaparinga, Marion and Holdfast Bay.

When completed, the Southern Materials Recovery Facility will process at least 31,000 tonnes a year of yellow bin recyclables sourced from the Onkaparinga, Marion and Holdfast Bay Councils. 

The additional federal funding will enable the facility to escalate recovery to 62,000 tonnes a year to service other regional councils and nearby commercial businesses.

The Southern Materials Recovery Facility is a joint initiative of the recycling specialist company Re.Group and the Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA), a joint subsidiary of the Onkaparinga, Marion and Holdfast Bay Councils.

“This is a project both myself and Nicolle, the Member for Boothby, have been advocating for in relation to securing Federal funding for some time,” Rebekha Sharkie says.

“This is a really innovative project. This is the type of recycling facility we need to be looking at in the future. We need resource facilities not waste facilities.

“It is one of the first facilities to be developed from scratch since the major changes in international waste commodity markets.

“It has been designed to produce recycled materials that meet the quality needs of Australia's and international markets. 

“It's much more than a recycling depot. It's an engine for an exciting new circular economy in our future.

“This recycling hub is projected to create over 80 full-time construction jobs and approximately 20 ongoing full-time jobs.

“I commend the Government for providing national leadership on this important issue and for working with state and territory governments and industry to boost onshore recycling processing."