$4 million for local projects tackling waste at the grassroots
More than $4 million in grants has been awarded to 50 innovative projects that will be led by community organisations and local councils across Victoria. These projects are set to change the way communities look at waste.
The 50 projects funded by the Recycling Victoria Councils Fund (Round 1) and Recycling Victoria Communities Fund (Round 1) will support Victoria’s transition to a circular economy. They will foster local waste solutions that encourage the reuse, repair, correct recycling, and sharing of everyday items.
In a circular economy, we get more value from resources by continuously giving new life to goods and materials – ideally preventing them from ever becoming waste, or properly recycling them if we need to.
Around the state, we’re funding a range of creative approaches, including the following.
- Not-for-profit Reground will expand its Alphington-based program by introducing it to more than 100 new businesses. The program is about collecting and using coffee grounds from the hospitality sector. It is expected that in the first year alone, more than 195 tonnes of coffee grounds will be diverted from landfill and used to nourish local gardens.
- A new resource recovery centre in Wyndham will process timber, green waste, cardboard, concrete, soils and other recyclables. The centre is projected to divert 14,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.
- The Collingwood Children's Farm will create a sustainability hub, including composting and worm farming towers. It is expected that 24 to 36 tonnes of organic waste will be diverted from landfill each year.
- In Wesburn in the Yarra Ranges, a chicken shed will be given new life as the ReCycle Repair hub where youth will be trained in how to recycle old bicycle parts into new bicycles that will be sold or donated locally. It is estimated that in the first year, 100 bicycles will be donated to charity and 100 bicycles will be resold.
- Wodonga City Council will partner with 6 councils and 4 alpine resort management boards to investigate new solutions for problem waste materials such as: ski gear, silage wrap, mattresses, polystyrene, and textiles.
These projects will reduce waste to landfill in ways that are locally meaningful and deliver tangible community benefit. They represent an important step towards a truly circular economy built on a smarter and more sustainable use of resources.
It’s a reminder that we can all think creatively to tackle waste in our own backyards and beyond.
Across multiple funding rounds, the Recycling Victoria Councils Fund and the Recycling Victoria Communities Fund will offer more than $11 million in grants to councils and community organisations state-wide.
The Funds are among a range of community supports under Recycling Victoria, the Victorian Government's $380 million action plan and investment that will transform the state’s recycling sector, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.
A full list of projects funded under Round 1 of each fund is available below.