No injuries were reported from the blaze in an industrial park about 15 km (10 miles) west of downtown Sydney. More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out at about 9.30 am local time (2230 GMT Wednesday).

A spokeswoman from the New South Wales State fire service said several hours later the blaze had been confined to the building in which it broke out and that other factories nearby had been evacuated.

Dramatic footage from the scene showed that the roof of the recycling plant had collapsed as piles of paper and plastic burned inside.

The column of smoke was visible across Sydney, with social media users posting images taken from different vantage points citywide. Favourable winds kept the smoke from reaching the city centre.

Authorities would not comment on the cause of the fire.