Tuesday, 31 October 2023

 Ella GEORGE (Lara) (19:13): (406) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action that I seek is for the minister to visit Sycle, a local company located in Avalon in the Lara electorate. Sycle take construction and demolition waste that would normally go to landfill and repurpose it into new materials. They recognise the substantial impact that the building and construction industry has on the environment and that only 12 per cent of all building materials currently come from recycled materials. Sycle accepts materials including concrete, asphalt, bricks, rocks, plasterboard, tyres, timber, plastic drainpipes, concrete pipes and even topsoil. At its Avalon facility Sycle repurposes those materials and sends them back out to be used again in construction projects. This even includes materials that are used by VicRoads in their road construction projects.

Along with their work in growing Victoria’s circular economy, Sycle have a strong focus on social procurement, which is to be commended. They work closely with organisations such as the Power in You Project, which is a Geelong-based non-profit that helps people affected by addiction, mental health and justice related challenges to achieve lasting change in their lives. And there is also genU, who empower people living with disabilities to live happier and healthier lives. I look forward to welcoming the Minister for Environment to Sycle to hear more from the team about the innovative work they are doing in our community.