$10M program helps WA councils and businesses tackle e-waste

More than half of the 35 recycling ventures funded as part of the Western Australian Government’s E-waste Infrastructure Grants Program are helping to divert thousands of tonnes of electronics from landfill.

The $10 million fund has allowed local councils and businesses to expand their storage, reuse and recycling capacities.

The program was first established in February 2023 to support the WA Government’s e-waste to landfill ban, which prohibits the disposal of e-waste to landfill by service providers, businesses or public entities, and landfill operators.

“When the ban came in, industries sought innovative ways to process e-waste to recover valuable resources and minimise environmental impacts,” said Department of Water and Environmental Regulation Circular Economy Executive Director Adrian Wiley.

“At the same time, councils needed facilities to collect electronics and store them securely until they could be repurposed.”

Western Australia’s City of Wanneroo council was granted almost $19,000 to build a facility which is expected to handle 80 tonnes of e-waste annually, while the Shire of Dardanup Waste Transfer station, supported by a grant of nearly $22,000, received more than 20 tonnes of e-waste between 2024 and 2025.

The shires of Northam and Donnybrook Balingup have also completed projects that boost their ability to collect and manage electrical items for reuse and recycling.

Meanwhile, businesses such as Total Green Recycling have used their skills and knowledge to support the state’s sustainability goals.

The company was awarded more than $2 million across three major projects, with the bulk going towards e-waste processing equipment at its Welshpool facility to increase recycling from 3600 tonnes to 5000 tonnes annually.

The remaining funds went towards boosting collection and storage capacity to enhance the recycling efforts of local councils, charities and small businesses, as well as supporting compliance with the state’s landfill ban.

Charity projects have been another highlight of the E-waste Infrastructure Grants Program. Sam’s Spares in Gosnells used a $74,000 grant to purchase equipment to erase corporate data from devices before refurbishing and donating them back to the community.

The Salvation Army expanded its tag and test capacity with $58,000 in funding.

“Last year, 80 per cent of the devices renewed by Sam’s team of volunteers were gifted to public school students,” Wiley said.

“The Salvation Army brought 40 new test and tag machines and trained staff to use them, allowing more donated electrical goods to be tested as functional and resold in an additional 22 stores across the state.

“Charities, companies and local governments have together completed 22 projects.”

In round one of the E-waste Infrastructure Grants Program, $4,582,380 was awarded to 20 projects. This amount rose to $5,303,371 in round two across 15 projects.