Recipients of waste reduction grants announced

  • $1.54 million provided to waste reduction and education programs
  • Funding builds on $4.5 million in grants invested in WA since 2017 to minimise waste and improve recycling 
  • Thirteen Western Australian businesses, not-for-profits, local governments and community groups will share more than $1.5 million in community and business-based grants from the McGowan Government as part of its commitment to reduce waste in WA.

    Announcing the successful recipients today during National Recycling Week, Environment Minister Stephen Dawson said he was excited to see the money go to such a diverse range of infrastructure and education-based projects.

    The WasteSorted Grants – Infrastructure and Community Education 2020-21, which replaced the Community and Industry Engagement program, support investment in local recycling infrastructure (grants of up to $250,000) or educational programs (grants of up to $50,000).

    The funding has been made available to businesses, charitable recycling organisations, local governments, regional councils, peak industry bodies, not-for-profit organisations, and research and educational institutions.

    Since 2017, the McGowan Government has provided $4.5 million in grants for Western Australian projects which improve the recovery and reuse of focus materials including plastics, construction and demolition waste, textiles, and food organics and garden organics.

    As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:

    “The WasteSorted Grants present a fantastic opportunity for projects that address the State Government’s waste management priorities to help Western Australia become a more sustainable low waste community, create local jobs and help get the economy back on track.

    “This program is just one way we can support industry and the community and bring some of the best waste projects to life.

    “Congratulations to all successful funding recipients in this round. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of your projects and initiatives.”

    Recipients of the WasteSorted Grants – Infrastructure and Community Education 2020-21:

    Adarsh Pty Ltd – Wastepaper recycling and pulp product manufacturing ($250,000)

    This project includes the purchase and deployment of a recycled fibre moulded packaging manufacturing machine. Capable of producing high-volume, low-cost products for packaging and industry, this process will recycle WA paper and cardboard in a sustainable manner. Location: Malaga.

    City of Greater Geraldton – Meru Waste Disposal Composting Facility ($176,000)

    This project is for the expansion and construction of a concrete FOGO sorting and processing pad at the Meru Landfill Waste Facility for the City of Greater Geraldton residents, commercial and neighbouring shires to divert 9,500 tonnes of compostable material from landfill. Location: Narngulu, Geraldton.        

    Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd – Use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), glass and plastics in asphalt manufacture ($250,000)

    Current use of recycled asphalt pavement in WA is limited with significant quantities being sent to landfill. The project will provide an appropriate storage facility that complies with Main Roads Specification 511 and increases the use of recycled asphalt. Location: Hazelmere.        

    Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) – Tackling a Troublesome Two: Provision of drop-off points for expanded polystyrene and aerosols in Perth’s Eastern Region ($65,775)

    Perth’s eastern region currently lacks locations where empty aerosols and polystyrene can be dropped off, resulting in them being landfilled. This project will establish a drop-off point in each EMRC’s member council and will be supported by a comprehensive waste education program. Location: Multiple sites in Perth’s eastern region. Members: Town of Bassendean, City of Bayswater, City of Kalamunda, Shire of Mundaring and City of Swan.

    Perth Bin Hire (Appala Holdings Pty Ltd) – Glass Bottle to Bottle Recycling Project ($250,000)

    Develop glass processing operations to enable the supply of 45,000 tonnes of furnace-ready cullet from material recovery facility glass to Orora Packaging for the manufacture of new glass bottles and other higher order of uses for customers in Australia and internationally. Location: Postans.

    Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) – FOGO decontamination with slow speed shredder ($250,000)

    Installation of a slow speed shredder to prepare food organics and garden organics or FOGO materials before removal of contamination prior to composting. This results in a more manageable feedstock to be processed through screens, density separators and hand sorting, and a significant improvement in the recovery rate of clean organics. Location: Canning Vale.

    City of Wanneroo – WasteSorted – talking my language! ($41,547)

    Through collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the City of Wanneroo will develop and distribute a variety of multilingual learning resources that add value to the WasteSorted tool kit and its effectiveness for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Location: Wanneroo.         

    Level 5 Design Pty Ltd – Toolbox Education Sessions to improve the amount of Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste used in road projects in the South-West ($35,000)

    The project aims to establish a regionally based on-site toolbox education program in C&D waste and resource recovery to facilitate better recovery, separation, sorting, and transfer of C&D waste materials for reuse in regional roads (e.g. Bunbury Outer Ring Road) and other local infrastructure. The Toolbox session program is planned to be conducted at 30 construction and demolition sites throughout the South-West region. Location: Bunbury/South-West region.              

    Bunbury Harvey Regional Council – Watch Your Waste and Be a GREAT Sort education campaign using the WasteSorted Toolkit ($48,058)

    This education campaign integrates Be a GREAT Sort and the newly developed WasteSorted resources for the three bin system. The campaign amplifies the Be a GREAT Sort campaign into the South-West and provides consistent messaging developed using evidence-based data from local waste audits. Location: Bunbury/Harvey.       

    Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) – Circular Economy Training and Capacity Building ($50,000)

    The EMRC will work with the Circular Economy Alliance Australia to develop and deliver high level capacity-building training packages (course materials, presentations and videos) and programs targeted towards key people across all tiers of government, business, industry and the community sector, to ensure WA becomes the leader and ‘go to’ State in terms of achieving a circular economy. Location: Not site specific.

    WALGA – Better Practice Resource Recovery in Multiple Unit Dwellings – Guidelines and Pilot Project ($49,756)        

    This project will develop and pilot better practice approaches to increase resource recovery from multiple unit dwellings, with a focus on the recovery of organics. Location: Greater Perth region.

    Repair Café Fremantle – Repair Café Fremantle ($5,192)

    Repair Café Fremantle is a free, monthly repair session for all community members facilitated by local volunteers. It aims to reduce waste to landfill and encourage the retention of repair practice and waste minimisation. Location: Fremantle.   

    Shire of East Pilbara – Engaging Newman in Waste Management ($23,085)

    The Shire of East Pilbara is engaging community members through a variety of waste and recycling engagement tools using the WasteSorted framework and translated into Martu Wangka, the language spoken by the custodians of Newman. The tools will encourage behaviour change in avoiding waste, recycling correctly and protecting the surrounding environment, and has potential as a template for wider Aboriginal engagement. Location: East Pilbara.         

    Curtin University – Development of Recycled Glass Concrete specifically for Western Australian conditions ($50,000)  

    This research project will review the technical potential of recycled glass concrete and reduce both landfill glass waste and virgin sand mining in WA. This project will address specific technical performance issues in utilising recycled glass in concrete. This potential reuse will help glass waste to avoid landfill and encourage more local glass recycling. Location: Perth.    

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