Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF)
Victorian Circular Economy
Recycling Modernisation Fund
In 2020, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed Australia should establish a timetable to ban the export of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres, while building Australia’s capacity to generate high value recycled commodities and associated demand.
“Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund provides joint Australian and Victorian government funding for recycling infrastructure and will build the capacity, capability and resilience of Victoria’s resource recovery system and support businesses. This fund is in response to the national export ban on waste materials and will increase the quality of materials for manufacturing and create jobs in the circular economy.”
Not in Victoria?
TIMELINE
- Applications open: Tuesday 16 August 2022
- Applications close: 11:59 pm Tuesday 27 September 2022
- Notification of outcome: January 2023
- Funding agreements established: February 2023 (TBC)
- Projects commenced by: February 2023 (TBC)
- Project completed by: 1 June 2024
WHO CAN APPLY?
Eligible organisations must be one of the following organisation types:
- Australian businesses and local government that have existing reprocessing and remanufacturing facilities in Victoria.
- Eligible Applicants may be consortia, however SV will only contract with one organisation. The consortium must name a lead partner who will enter into a funding agreement with SV (usually the partner purchasing the infrastructure). The consortium must be established at the date of application.
Applicants must:
- have a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
- have been operating in Australia for a minimum of 12 months by the application closing date (to be validated by the date that the organisation’s ABN is active from)
- be able to demonstrate financial viability to undertake the project (will meet or exceed the minimum co-contribution requirements)
- agree to comply with the Terms of Participation in Grant Programs
- agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the General grant funding.
FUNDING AVAILABLE
Total funding available: Each project can receive a grant between $50,000 and $500,000.
Applicants are required to meet the following minimum cash co-contribution:
- Businesses must co-contribute at least $3 for every $1 funded.
- Local government must co-contribute at least $2 for every $1 funded.
Investment leverage will be a key consideration as part of application assessments. Higher investment from the Applicant will be looked upon more favorably.
Co-contributions must be financial (cash). In-kind contributions are not permitted in this Fund.
FUND OBJECTIVES
Projects must meet one or more of the following objectives:
- improve recycling outcomes by addressing critical infrastructure gaps in Australia’s waste management and resource recovery system including addressing Australia’s regional and rural waste challenges
- increase the capacity for domestic reprocessing and manufacturing of materials affected by the national waste export ban, container deposit system and Victoria’s kerbside reform transition
- increase the recovery and local reprocessing of the priority materials paper, cardboard, plastic and tyres
- manage the priority materials in line with the waste hierarchy and export ban (excluding glass)
- increase the use and market demand of recovered materials in manufacturing and to make new products
- create jobs in the resource recovery sector
- increase other economic development opportunities such as economic performance and growth of hubs
- reduce the amount and environmental impact of waste going to landfill.
The Fund aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- diversify and attract new investment to increase the quality of materials recovered for recycling
- attract reprocessing infrastructure to increase the quantity of materials re-entering manufacturing streams and improving the circularity of materials
- support technologies and processes that provide new or improved recycling and manufacturing solutions.
WHAT WILL BE FUNDED?
Funding will support projects activities that:
- meet one or more of the fund objectives
- increase processing capability and capacity to improve quality of materials for re-manufacture and/or use of one or more of the following materials subject to the national waste export ban:
- mixed plastics that are not of a single resin/polymer type and/or further sorting, cleaning and processing is required before use in manufacturing
- single resin/polymer plastics that have not been reprocessed (e.g. cleaned and baled PET bottles)
- mixed and unsorted paper and cardboard
- all whole used tyres or in pieces larger than 150 mm, including baled tyres, but not including bus, truck and aviation tyres exported for retreading to a verified retreading facility.
Project types:
- Purchase, install and commission new equipment or technology or upgrade existing facilities to increase domestic reprocessing capacity and/or increase use of recycled content in manufacturing and/or infrastructure.
Project costs:
- Capital purchases (e.g. infrastructure or equipment including mobile equipment to process materials on-site. Mobile equipment must remain in Victoria except for repair or servicing interstate).
- Construction of buildings to house recycling infrastructure (from the laying of a slab to commissioning).
Projects must:
- be located in and service Victoria
- source 50% or more of the project feedstock (materials) from Victorian sources
- meet regulatory or planning requirements
- be commissioned and operational by 1 June 2024
- demonstrate market supply of the material feedstocks and demand for the processed products. Applications with secured feedstock and end markets will be assessed more favorably by the assessment panel.
You can submit multiple applications. Each application must be for a different project. An application must not be for multiple projects.