Innovative, female-led startups across Australia are being backed by the Federal Government, with nearly $12 million in support to help them scale up and grow their businesses.
Victoria boosted with Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre
Victoria now boasts a $7 million Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre with an initial focus on reducing food and organic waste. This work will build off Sustainability Victoria’s Love Food Hate Waste program that has helped reduce the 250,000 tonnes of edible food that is thrown away by households each year – enough to fill Melbourne’s Eureka Tower.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio launched the Centre, stating that that it will fast-track Victoria’s recycling revolution. She said the Centre will work with a variety of businesses – from farms and cafes to factories and appliance shops – to streamline the way they operate, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.
“This new centre will spark innovation and help businesses to make sustainable changes and reduce waste.” “This will gather some of the best minds and research about recycling innovation, so that Victorian businesses can get the most out of their materials.”
Expert advice
The centre will do research and offer expert advice and resources through a virtual hub, facilitate collaboration and events, and offer grants and support for businesses. To mark the launch of the centre, the first round of the $10 million Recycling Victoria Business Support Fund has opened. The fund will help businesses, industry groups and not-for-profit organisations to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste to landfill, increase recycling and reduce their operating costs.
Meanwhile, the first round of the $3 million Recycling Victoria Innovation Fund is also now available. This funding will support partnerships between businesses, industry groups, research institutions, community groups and charities to identify, develop and scale-up more environmentally sustainable opportunities and business models. The centre is part of Recycling Victoria – the Government’s action plan and investment of more than $300 million to transform the state’s recycling sector, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.
NSW Circular Economy gets funding
While the industry waits for a strategic direction on waste for NSW, new intakes for the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Circulate and Civil Construction Market Programs have opened that aim to divert valuable materials from landfill for re-use, recycling and industrial ecology projects.
It was a sustainable and future focused awards evening for APCO
More than 20 accolades were awarded during the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Annual Awards ceremony covering a broad range of industry sectors, including retail, electronics, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and food and beverage.
How TexBack PVC composite recycling scheme benefits from NPSIF
The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and its project partner Specialised Textiles Association (STA) have secured Government grant funding of nearly $350,000 to further research into the recycling of waste PVC and polyester (PES) composite textile products in Australia.
TSA: striving for real world outcomes for tyre derived products
The 2019/20 Annual report from Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) shares the wins, challenges and the vision of the industry funded product stewardship organisation that has a new feel and re-invigorated focus to it.
Product Stewardship grants deliver new allies
Imagine 200 billion chocolate wrappers being recycled. That’s how much soft plastic packaging will be processed under just one of the proposals funded through the Federal Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF). A total of 15 projects have been funded from the $10.5 million scheme which saw the extraordinary response of a six-times oversubscribed …
Scotland leads UK’s first deposit return scheme
As Victoria and Tasmania move closer to a CDS, Scotland is introducing the UK’s first deposit return scheme (DRS) which will see a 20 pence (p) fee added to single-use drinks containers in the country from 1 July 2022.
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WA gets serious about its Plastics Plan
Overwhelming community support of 98 per cent in favour of action to reduce the impacts of single-use plastics, has resulted in the release of WA’s Plan for Plastics. According to the government, the plan’s approach encourages avoidance of single-use plastics as the preferred action to mitigate the known impacts of single-use plastics on the environment …
Chemistry Australia and CSIRO determined to end plastic waste
Chemistry Australia and its Plastics Stewardship Australia initiative have partnered with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to “transform plastic waste in Australia”.