Funding announced for 13 resource recovery projects

The Victorian Government has announced funding for 13 new resource recovery infrastructure projects, which will share more than $4.2 million from the second round of Sustainability Victoria’s Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund.

Based in rural and regional Victoria, and worth more than $47 million in total, the new projects are expected to create 50 jobs and divert around 85,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

Eight of the 13 projects are being delivered by local government, including new or upgraded council resource recovery centres in the Rural Cities of Benalla and Wangaratta, and the Campaspe, Mitchell, Moira, Towong and Yarriambiack Shires. Campaspe Shire is being funded $295,000 for two projects: to expand its combined collection of food organics and garden organics for composting and to invest in collecting and compressing soft plastics and expanded polystyrene.

Private sector projects funded include large-scale composting operations near Camperdown, Shepparton and the Latrobe Valley, and a waste-to-energy plant using commercial and industrial waste and other products near Bacchus Marsh. A Mildura-based recycling company that makes a range of products from recycled plastics is also receiving support to increase its production capacity.

Sustainability Victoria CEO Stan Krpan said the $13.6 million Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund aims to support the development of infrastructure which improves the collection and processing of recycled materials.

“With recent changes to international recycling markets, infrastructure investments are crucial to ensuring we continue to develop our local industry, and in doing so, facilitate innovation and create jobs,” he said.

The news comes almost one year after funding was announced for 14 round one projects, which received $5 million and will divert at least 350,000 tonnes of waste materials from landfill and create an estimated 85 jobs. Applications for the third round of funding are now open, with up to $3 million available for infrastructure projects across Victoria.

Information about how to apply for round three funding can be found at www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/RRIF_Infrastructure_Grants.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Sergey Nivens