The Andrews Labor Government is increasing Victoria’s output of recycled organics, textiles and glass by up to 350,000 tonnes each year with $5.73 million in funding to establish new and upgrade existing recycling facilities across the state.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today announced six projects to receive funding and create more than 75 full time jobs while reducing waste and generating new value for the Victorian economy.

The projects will process more than 436,000 tonnes of organics, 20,000 tonnes of glass and 40,000 tonnes of textiles each year and will leverage $24.4 million of industry investment in Victoria’s recycling infrastructure.

Citywide, one of the six successful projects, will receive $582,400 to build a new facility in West Melbourne to recycle low quality glass. The plant will crush, dry clean and screen glass, turning it into materials which can be used in road construction, fiberglass, sand blast grit and other products, creating 3 jobs and increasing capacity by 20,000 tonnes a year.

Victoria’s textile recycling capacity will receive a boost with the establishment of a new circular textile production facility in Dandenong, creating 14 jobs by processing textile waste into a vertical lay fabric that can be used in acoustic wall panels, building insulation and in mattress and furniture infills.

New organics infrastructure will support the roll out of food and organics bins across the state, providing increased processing capacity and improving the quality of the compost, while significantly reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and greenhouse gas emissions produced.

The projects are funded through the Recycling Victoria Infrastructure Fund, which is part of the Andrews Labor Governments $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector.

For further information on the projects, visit: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“These local businesses are the backbone of our transforming recycling sector, using technology and innovation to boost our manufacturing capacity and stop waste.”

“This funding boost will help Victorian businesses develop new opportunities for recycled materials, creating value from resources that would otherwise end up as waste.”

Quotes attributable Member for Northern Metropolitan Sheena Watt

“I am thrilled to see news jobs in the local area as our recycling and manufacturing businesses expand their capacity and we work to achieving our ambitious climate change targets.”

List of funded projects:

• Pinegro Products: $2 million to build a new composting facility in the Gippsland Region which will process commercial and residential food and organics waste, creating 10 jobs and increasing capacity by 40,000 tonnes a year.
• Bio Gro: $600,790 to expand their Dandenong South organics processing facility to decontaminate and shred food and garden organics for further processing, creating 7 jobs and improving the quality of 140,000 tonnes of organic material.
• Bio Gro: $1.67 million to establish a new regional organics recovery facility in Birregurra, creating 40 jobs and increasing capacity by up to 500,000 tonnes a year. Textile Innovations Australia: $500,000 to establish a new textile recycling facility in Dandenong, creating 14 jobs and increasing capacity by 40,000 tonnes a year.
• The Rural City of Wangaratta: $381,000 to expand their organics processing facility, enabling the council to accept organics from neighbouring councils and businesses, creating 2 jobs and producing 6,800 tonnes of improved quality organics each year.
• Citywide: $582,400 to build a new facility in West Melbourne to recycle low quality glass. The plant will crush, dry clean and screen glass, turning it into materials which can be used in road construction, fiberglass, sand blast grit and other products, creating 3 jobs and increasing capacity by 20,000 tonnes a year.