Packaging waste is being turned into new products such as toys and shopping baskets thanks to funding from the Victorian Government, paving the way towards a more sustainable economy.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced today grants of up to $50,000 are available to help businesses develop new ways to reduce, reprocess or remanufacture packaging waste, with total funding of over $450,000.
The grants will support innovation that helps create new products from packaging waste. It’s estimated that funded projects will divert 6,000 tonnes of packaging waste from landfill and create 30 full-time jobs.
This is the second round of funding available to small to medium businesses, not for profit organisations and social enterprises.
Previous grant recipients include family-owned business Happy Planet Toys who were awarded funding to manufacture a fully recyclable bath toy made from recycled milk bottles.
Sa’pere Drinks received funding to create a reusable glass bottle system for pubs and clubs, allowing Sa’pere to reduce waste to landfill.
These are just two examples of how the grant program is reducing waste and getting more value from packaging waste.
These funds are part of the Government’s $515 million investment to transform the waste and recycling sector, including $380 million towards Recycling Victoria: a new economy, helping to position Victoria as the national leader in recycling.
The Investment Support Grant – Packaging (ISGP) supports Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Not for Profits (NFPs) and social enterprises to pursue packaging waste reduction or recovery opportunities.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm, 30 September 2021. Late applications will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances.
1. Fund overview
1.1 Fund objectives
The fund objective is to support businesses and organisations that generate, recover or reuse packaging waste to transition to more circular business models or activities.
The fund supports purchasing of equipment and infrastructure to enable and accelerate the diversion of packaging waste from landfill. The fund will preference projects that create new products using packaging waste.
Projects must meet one or more of the following objectives:
Reduce generation of packaging waste.
Increase or improve recovery of packaging waste.
Manufacture packaging using recovered materials.
Manufacture new products using packaging waste.
The fund aims to achieve the following outcomes:
6,000 tonnes of packaging waste diverted from landfill
30 new full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs created
at least 50% of grantees produce new products using packaging waste.
1.2 Funding available
Grants of between $10,000 and $50,000 are available per project.
1.3 Co-contribution
Applicants must contribute at least $1 for every $1 funded. This co-contribution can be either financial (cash) or in-kind.
For SMEs at least 75% of co-contribution must be in cash.
For example, if your grant request is $10,000, you must contribute at least $7,500 in cash and the remaining $2,500 can be in-kind.
For NFP and social enterprise at least 50% of the co-contribution must be in cash.
For example, if your grant request is $10,000, you must contribute at least $5,000 in cash and the remaining $5,000 can be in-kind.
2. Eligibility
2.1 Who can apply
Eligible organisations are:
Small to medium enterprise (SMEs) with under 200 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
Not-for-profit organisations
Social enterprises
Applicants must:
have a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
have been operating 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)
meet or exceed the minimum co-contribution requirements
2.3 What will be funded
Projects must:
manufacture new products using packaging waste
reduce generation of packaging waste
increase or improve recovery of packaging waste
manufacture packaging using recovered materials.
Costs supported by funding include:
capital purchases - including infrastructure or equipment
expenditure items including other capital purchases that are directly related to the project.
Projects that receive funding must:
deliver on at least one of the above project activities
divert or recover at least one of these materials – plastic, paper/cardboard or glass from landfill
be located or service Victoria
meet regulatory or planning requirements
be completed within 12 months of contract signing.
For further information on the grants, visit the Sustainability Victoria website.