VIC Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund (Round 6) – Australia

The fund focuses on building capacity, capability, and resilience within the sector, supporting businesses in complying with national waste export regulations, improving the quality of materials for manufacturing, creating jobs in the circular economy, enhancing the capacity, capability, and resilience of Victoria’s resource recovery sector, improving the quality of recovered target materials to increase market uptake and/or meet market specifications, increasing the use and market demand of recovered target materials in remanufacturing and to make new products, increasing the recovery and domestic reprocessing of hard-to-recycle plastics including e-plastics, EPS/PS, packaging (soft / flexible) plastics, agricultural plastics where there are very low recovery and recycling rates due to difficulties in recycling and limited infrastructure and technology solutions to support circularity in the supply chain, e-waste such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries, vapes or household appliances, recovery of tyres to create crumb rubber for local markets, liquid paperboard / liquid packaging board, textiles.

Improving recycling outcomes by addressing critical infrastructure gaps in Australia’s waste management and resource recovery system including regional and rural waste challenges, managing target materials in line with the waste hierarchy and national regulation of waste exports, creating jobs in the resource recovery sector, increasing other economic development opportunities such as economic performance and growth of hubs, and reducing the amount and environmental impact of waste going to landfill.

The fund offers targeted financial assistance under Round 6 to support projects that enhance recycling capability and modernise infrastructure across Victoria. For profit businesses can apply for funding ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 and must co-contribute at least $2 for every $1 in funding received. Social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, and local government organisations can apply for funding between $50,000 and $500,000 and must co-contribute at least $1 for every $1 funded.

Funding will support projects that meet one or more of the fund’s primary objectives, are aligned with the Recycling Victoria: A new economy policy, and for applicable materials, the Australian Government’s national regulation of waste exports. Supported projects are expected to increase processing capability and capacity or improve the quality of target materials to meet product specifications for products, re-manufacture, or use, while targeting eligible materials and equipment types outlined under the fund.

Eligible applicants include Australian businesses, social enterprises registered with Social Traders or able to prove accreditation prior to entering a funding agreement, Victorian local government organisations, and other not-for-profit organisations, ideally registered on the ACNC charity register. Through this support, the fund aims to drive stronger market outcomes, improved recycling performance, and long-term resilience across Victoria’s circular economy.

For more information, visit Avant Group.