Up to $20 million for innovative plastics recycling technologies
The Recycling Modernisation Fund (Plastics Technology) is aimed at addressing critical gaps in Australia’s recycling infrastructure.
The Government are inviting applications from eligible organisations or consortia to apply for between $1 million and $20 million, on a 50:50 matching financial contribution basis, to advanced and innovative technologies targeting hard-to-recycle plastics such as soft plastics to help boost plastic recycling rates, support the transition away from virgin plastics and drive towards a safe circular economy for plastics.
Hard-to-recycle plastics are plastics in waste streams where there are:
Low recovery and recycling rages due to difficulties in recycling, and
Currently limited infrastructure and technology solutions to support circularity in the supply chain.
Eligible applicants are:
An Australian incorporated entity or partnership
An entity or partnership under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
An Australian research institution (can be a tertiary education institution, government research agency, a CRC, an institute or centre of research, or privately owned and accredited research facility)
A council, regional organisation of councils or other local government controlled organisation
A non-government / not-for-profit organisation with an established legal status, or can have grant funds administered by another organisation with legal status
An Aboriginal Land Council
The objectives of the program are to:
Significantly increase Australia’s recycling and recover rates of hard-to-recycle plastics
Support a safe circular economy for plastics in Australia to transform waste plastic into valuable new products, such as food-grade plastic packaging
Build domesitc and international confidence to invest in recycling infrastructure in Australia
Support long-term job creation and a more highly skilled workforce in the Australian recycling industry
Protect our environment through reduced plastic pollution
Projects may include:
Advanced recycling projects
Commercialisation and scale-up of emerging and trial technology
Infrastructure upgrades and innovative technology for extraction and processing of plastics within products such as e-waste
Equipping existing or new material or plastic recovery facilities with advanced sorting, separation and de-contamination technology
Consortium proposals for end-to-end solutions and circularity in the plastics supply chain
Various closing dates apply depending on the State in which you are operating.
For more information and links to the relevant state agencies click HERE.