Government funding unveiled to bolster Victoria’s circular economy

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Image Credit: www.premier.vic.gov.au

The Australian government and the state government of Victoria have doubled down on their commitment to cutting waste, creating more jobs for Victorians, and helping businesses cut costs by using recycled materials. 

Both the federal and Victorian governments have co-invested $2 million to launch the third round of the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund

The programme would enable businesses and local councils in Victoria to install new recycling and remanufacturing technology or revamp existing scrap processing facilities. 

Lily D’Ambrosio, Victoria’s minister for environment and climate action, said the state is on its way to diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030— the biggest transformation and reform in Victoria’s waste and recycling sector. 

“We’ve invested more than ever before in new recycling infrastructure, creating new uses for waste, innovation for businesses to increase recycling capacity and community education – we’re strengthening Victoria’s recycling industry so valuable resources are reused over and over again,” D’Ambrosio said. 

Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said in a statement that the $2 million investment builds on more than $68 million in joint Australian and Victorian government funding, which has already been deployed to support 21 infrastructure projects across Victoria. 

“These have already been announced will support over 270 new ongoing full-time jobs and process an additional 322,000 tonnes of glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, and tyre waste each year,” Plibersek said. 

“As well as being the right thing to do for our planet, there are many job and economic opportunities to be gained by investing in recycling.”

The $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund investment, along with measures to support Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, will create approximately 10,000 new jobs all around Australia over the next 10 years.