The third round of the Circular Economy Councils Fund will help recycle and repurpose more than 27,000 tonnes of goods and materials while diverting an additional 22,000 tonnes of waste from landfill annually.
Items being saved from landfill, repurposed or reused range from agricultural plastics to organics, tyres, e-waste, metal and aggregates.
The $2.11 million investment is from Sustainability Victoria, on behalf of the Victorian Government.
One of the 13 fund recipients is Frankston City Council which will establish a bin trim program for 35 to 45 businesses in the Frankston, Casey and Mornington municipalities. The program will enable participants to reduce waste to landfill and increase recycling and food organic garden organic (FOGO) uptake.
Swan Hill Rural Council will use its funding to create a Circular Agricultural Plastics Economy for the Loddon Mallee region. The 3200 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste collected annually from farmers under this program will be remanufactured into fenceposts, irrigation pipes and other farming essentials.
In Victoria’s north-west, the Yarriambiack Shire Council is reducing waste being sent to landfill for 10 small communities in the shire. The Yarriambiack Mobile Recycling Station trailer will collect a range of items for recycling and aggregate them at the Warracknabeal Transfer Station.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council will receive funding to develop a resale shop at the Romsey Resource Recovery Facility. It will also be upgrading the Kyneton resale shop to divert usable goods from landfill and give residents and visitors the opportunity to buy unique and hard-to-find items.
Projects funded under the third round of the Circular Economy Councils Fund will also boost employment, contributing 11 long-term jobs and 40 short-term jobs, while working towards the Victoria’s Government’s target of diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030.
Across the three funding rounds, Sustainability Victoria is supporting a total of 66 projects in 41 councils and boosting council recycling facilities across the state.
Combined, these projects will divert more than 100,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.
Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos said supporting these local initiatives will drive down the amount of waste that ends up in landfill and create valuable new opportunities to increase local recycling.
Learn more about the Circular Economy Councils fund recipients.
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