Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly and Environment Minister Stephen Dawson today announced the launch of the new WasteSorted E-Waste Grants program which will be funded from the New Industries Fund (NIF).
E-waste (short for electronic waste) is any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted.
The new grants program from the NIF will support projects and innovations that reduce the amount of e-waste ending up in landfill through increased waste collection and recycling.
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to support businesses and partnerships to fund research and development of innovative processes to recycle and reuse the e-waste; and up to $80,000 is available for organisations, including local governments, to support an increase in the volume of e-waste collected for recycling.
E-waste contains materials which may present risks to human health and the environment if not disposed of appropriately. E-waste also contains recoverable materials, often including materials that are high in value.
As reliance on technology increases, e-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams. The global volume of e-waste has grown by 21 per cent over the past five years, and in 2019 the UN estimated up to $57 billion USD worth of gold, silver, copper, palladium and other high value materials were discarded annually as e-waste worldwide (The Global E-waste Monitor 2020).
The $16.7 million New Industries Fund was established to support and accelerate new and emerging businesses to diversify the Western Australian economy and create new WA jobs.
The WasteSorted E-Waste Grants complement national action and support the WA Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 objectives to avoid waste, recover more value and resources from waste, and protect the environment from the impacts of waste.
In addition to the WasteSorted E-Waste Grants, the Waste Authority business plan includes $150,000 for e-waste research to further increase WA e-waste recycling rates.
Applications for WasteSorted E-Waste Grants are now open and close on November 16, 2020.
For more information about the grants, visit the Waste Authority website at https://www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/programs/view/wsg-e-waste-202021
As stated by Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly:
“The McGowan Government is committed to reducing electronic waste through innovative technology and is encouraging the growth of the recycling industry.
“Recycling e-waste is not only good for the environment; it also creates jobs in Western Australia.
“These grants will support R&D that improves the efficiency and reduces costs for the recycling of e-waste.
“Grants are also available for organisations such as local governments, who can immediately increase the volume of e-waste they collect for recycling and prevent these valuable assets from ending up in landfill.”
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
“There are three times more jobs in recycling than when you send a similar amount of waste to landfill, so the McGowan Government is really keen to reinforce the message that landfill is the last resort.
“As technology rapidly evolves, we need to develop better ways to recycle old technology so those resources don’t end up in landfill.
“The WasteSorted E-Waste Grants are aimed at developing better ways to deal with the issue, so we can recycle this waste in WA, supporting WA Waste Strategy objectives including material recovery, environmental protection and progress towards a more circular economy.”
