The investment targets the unique waste management challenges faced by regional and remote councils, with funding allocated for waste transfer stations, recycling hubs, baling equipment, access roads and material handling infrastructure.
Among the largest grants, the Shire of Derby/West Kimberley received $576,308 to upgrade the all-weather access road to the Derby Waste Management Facility, while the Shire of Dowerin secured $521,664 to establish nine transfer stations across seven Wheatbelt local government areas. The Shire of Plantagenet will receive $348,258 to build a dedicated Recycling Hub at the Mount Barker Waste Management Facility, and the Shire of East Pilbara will receive $333,135 for new cardboard baling infrastructure in Newman.
Other funded projects include expanded cardboard processing in Albany, Geraldton and Esperance, improved plastics recovery in Broome and Tammin, new recycling collection points in Perenjori, upgraded transfer stations in Victoria Plains and a tyre recycling initiative in York.
The Recycling Modernisation Fund supports infrastructure that processes materials affected by Australia’s waste export bans, helping increase domestic recycling capacity while keeping valuable resources in circulation.
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, said the funding would deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits for regional communities.
He said the projects would help regional Western Australian communities recover more recyclable materials, reduce waste sent to landfill and strengthen local recycling capability.
Western Australian Minister for the Environment, the Hon Matthew Swinbourn MLC, said the funding recognised the unique challenges faced by regional councils.
“Regional and remote communities face unique waste management challenges, and this funding will help local governments deliver practical recycling and resource recovery improvements tailored to local needs,” Swinbourn said.
The RMF has already supported 14 recycling infrastructure projects across Western Australia, increasing the state’s recycling capacity by more than 237,700 tonnes each year.