Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund – Funded projects

Australian Government Recycling Modernisation Fund

The Recycling Modernisation Fund is an Australian Government initiative that is investing over $190 million to expand Australia’s capacity to sort, process and remanufacture recycled materials such as plastic, paper, cardboard, tyres and glass. The fund will assist Australia to respond to the national regulation of waste exports.

An additional round of Regional and Remote funding under the Recycling Modernisation Fund was also made available to address waste infrastructure gaps in regional and remote areas of Australia. This funding will increase the sorting, processing, and manufacturing or remanufacturing capacity of regional and remote locations.

The Recycling Modernisation Fund is being distributed by state and territory governments. Funding allocated to Victoria from the Recycling Modernisation Fund will be delivered via the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund.

For more information, visit the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.

Funding for infrastructure projects (new infrastructure or upgrades) that:

• address materials subject to the Australian Government’s regulation of waste exports
• increase the capacity and capability of Victoria’s resource recovery sector and/or
• improve the quality of available materials for reprocessing and remanufacturing.

$5.1 million was awarded to 6 infrastructure projects under Round 1 of the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund.

$20.6 million has been awarded to 13 projects under Round 2 of the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund, including 2 projects awarded funding under the Recycling Modernisation Fund – regional and remote funding round.

The Victorian and Commonwealth Governments are also jointly providing $39 million to 4 additional projects.

The projects funded will create almost 250 ongoing full-time jobs and process up to 303,394 tonnes of glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, and tyre waste each year.

These projects were co-funded by the Victorian Government and the Australian Government.

For background, view the Materials recycling infrastructure funding guidelines.

Round 1 fund recipients

Announcement date: 18 January 2021

Circular Plastics Australia (PE) VIC Pty Ltd

Project: Post-consumer plastics reprocessing plant: An end-to-end solution

Circular Plastics Australia (PE) VIC Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Cleanaway and Pact Group will build a facility capable of processing 20,000 tonnes of plastic per annum.

Funding: $3,000,000

Mildura Rural City Council

Project: Mildura Glass Sorting and Processing Facility

The funding will be used to construct a regional sorting and glass processing facility with the capacity to process 5,300 tonnes of kerbside materials per annum.

Funding: $228,750

Repurpose It

Project: Plant Capacity Optimisation – Waste Glass Recovery

Processing capacity at Repurpose It’s existing Epping plant will be increased with the funding used to install an additional centrifuge and material storage bunker.

Funding: $400,000

Socobell O.E.M Pty Ltd

Project: CLEVA POD Recycled Plastic Void Former System for Concrete Foundations

The funding will be used to install a patented new CLEVA POD void forming system, which creates concrete slab foundations made from 100% recycled plastic – which will be marketed to the construction industry.

Funding: $847,961

Vinidex Pty Ltd

Project: Resource Recovery for Plastics Pipes

Vinidex will use the funding to install infrastructure which will process recovered polymers to create new pipe products.

Funding: $155,045

Wheelie Waste Pty Ltd

Project: Wheelie Waste Warrnambool Recycling Facility

A new facility will be constructed with the funding, which will sort and process glass as well as bale paper and plastic for transport.

Funding: $481,800

Round 2 fund recipients

Corex Recycling Pty Ltd

Project: Project Succeed

The funding will be used for new processing equipment to process difficult-to-recycle plastics (such as coat hangers and car bumper bars) for remanufacturing.

Funding: $286,746.66

Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd

Project: Fulton Hogan Lara Glass Processing Hub

Fulton Hogan will create a new regional glass processing hub at their Lara Asphalt Plant, which will recycle glass for use in local roads.

Funding: $740,000

Garden City Planters Pty Ltd

Project: Upgrade and expansion of plastic product manufacturing

The funding will be used to expand Garden City Planters’ Dandenong facility, with the installation of new equipment which will increase the use of recycled plastic in their production of plant pots.

Funding: $5,315,975

J. J. Richards & Sons Pty Ltd

Project: Wangaratta and Bendigo materials recovery facility (MRF) upgrades

J.J. Richards’ MRFs in Bendigo and Wangaratta will be upgraded, including by installing glass decontamination equipment to enable the use of recycled glass in constructing local roads.

Funding: $225,350

Plasgain Pty Ltd

Project: Waste plastic to corrugated pipe project

New manufacturing equipment will be purchased to produce corrugated pipe from recycled plastic.

Funding: $251,064

Pro-Pac Group Pty Ltd (Integrated Recycling)

Project: Production line for recycling plastic sleepers

A modular production line will be installed at Integrated Recycling’s Mildura facility. This will enable waste plastic to be recycled into Duratrack plastic railway sleepers.

Funding: $1,453,057.47

Polymer Processors Pty Ltd

Project: Expansion of plastics reprocessing facility

The project will increase Polymer Processors’ capacity to reprocess hard and soft post-consumer plastics into pellets for manufacturing.

Funding: $9,708,487

Polyrok (Repeat Plastics Australia Pty Ltd)

Project: Advanced Polymer Feedstock

The funding will be used to increase capacity to process post-consumer soft plastics into a stone aggregate replacement called Polyrok. Polyrok is used for freeway sound walls, carparks, pathways and kerbs.

Funding: $735,000

Regional and Remote successful recipients

ASQ Group Pty Ltd

Project: ASQ Glass Washing Facility

ASQ Group will install a new glass washing facility at their existing recycling and glass crushing plant in California Gully, to remove sugars, yeast and organic contaminants from the glass and produce a higher quality glass sand product.

Funding: $848,000

Tambo Waste Pty Ltd

Project: Tambo Waste MRF Upgrade & Glass Recycling Operation

Tambo Waste's Materials Recovery Facility in Bairnsdale will be upgraded and expanded with the establishment of a glass recycling facility, improving recovery, processing and the end uses for recyclables in the region.

Funding: $1,027,375

Other funded recipients

Circular Plastics Australia (PET) VIC Pty Ltd

Project: Victorian PET Recycling Plant

Circular Plastics Australia (PET) VIC Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Asahi Beverages, Pact Group and Cleanaway will establish a PET recycling plant in Melbourne to recycle up to 26,000 tonnes of collected used plastic bottles into PET pellets each year, for use within Coca-Cola, Asahi Beverages and Pact Group’s own packaging.

Funding: $6,000,000

GT Recycling Unit Trust

Project: Flexible Plastic Capacity and Technology Upgrade Project

The funding will be used to expand their plastics recycling facility in Geelong to reprocess an additional 8,000 tonnes of plastic, including soft plastics, per annum.

Funding: $3,000,000

Kantfield Pty Ltd (Martogg & Company)

Project: Martogg Hot Wash Flake plant

Martogg will establish a new plant that will take 24,700 tonnes of mixed plastic each year and create food grade plastics that will be turned into new plastic packaging.

Funding: $6,000,000

Visy Industries Australia Pty Ltd

Project: Project Zepplin

The funding will be used to install advanced Drum Pulping technology to recycle 95,000 tonnes of mixed kerbside paper each year.

Funding: $24,000,000