More plastic will be recycled and turned into new products in NSW thanks to $9 million funding to support businesses transform their operations and access the latest plastic recycling technology.
Minister for the environment James Griffin said the new Circular Plastics Program, part of the Circular Materials Fund, is all about boosting the circular economy for plastics in NSW.
“This program is a gamechanger for our state because it means we’ll be reducing the amount of plastic going to landfill, and turning it into a valuable resource instead,” Griffin said.
“At the moment, NSW produces about 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year, and about 10 per cent is recycled. That figure should be much higher and I want to see plastic being repurposed and reused as many times as possible, rather than ending up in landfill or the environment.
“Through this $9 million program, we’re giving eligible businesses the support they need to recycle and reuse more plastic when making new products.
“This is business and government working together to create a cleaner future, and generate new market demand and value for recycled plastic.”
The Circular Plastics Program is part of the NSW government’s target to triple the plastics recycling rate by 2030, and will be delivered by the NSW EPA.
The matched funding will support SMEs that may otherwise be challenged by initial capital costs involved in creating circularity in their business.
The program is part of the NSW government’s $356 million Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, and the NSW Plastics Action Plan.
More information is available here, and expressions of interest close 17 November 2022.
