The Federal Government is launching a new $60 million fund for hard-to-recycle plastics, including shopping bags, bread bags, cling wrap and chip packets.
Grants of between $1 million and $20 million are available to support new or upgraded recycling infrastructure projects such as advanced recycling to turn plastic back into oil for re-use in food-grade packaging; commercialisation of trial technology targeting ways to keep hard-to-recycle plastics in use; extraction and processing of plastics from e-waste into valuable products; and diverting more plastics from landfill using advanced sorting, separation and de-contamination technology such as optical or robotic machinery.
The projects are expected to help speed up the shift away from virgin plastics, towards a circular economy where materials are kept in use for as long as possible.
Combined with contributions from state and territory governments and industry, the funding will add to the more than $600 million of combined investment in recycling infrastructure the government is already delivering.
Australians use about 3.8 million tonnes of plastic a year and dispose of about 2.7 million tonnes – about 50 times the weight of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being thrown out each year. Only about 13 per cent of it is recycled.
Tanya Plibersek, Minister for the Environment and Water, said the funding will help Australia improve recycling rates by investing in technologies that could help solve the challenges of recycling plastic waste.
The Federal Government has already funded 57 additional plastic recycling facilities, 12 of which are up and running.
For more information on how to apply for grants visit: www.dcceew.gov.au
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