Western Australian Innovation and ICT Minister, Dave Kelly, and Environment Minister Stephen Dawson have announced the launch of the new WasteSorted E-Waste Grants program which will be funded from the New Industries Fund (NIF).
Electronic waste (e-waste) is any item with a plug, battery or cord that is no longer working or wanted.
The new grants program from the NIF will support projects and innovations that reduce the amount of e-waste ending up in landfill through increased waste collection and recycling.
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to support businesses and partnerships to fund research and development of innovative processes to recycle and reuse the e-waste; and up to $80,000 is available for organisations, including local governments, to support an increase in the volume of e-waste collected for recycling.
E-waste contains materials which may present risks to human health and the environment if not disposed of appropriately. E-waste also contains recoverable materials that are often high in value.
As reliance on technology increases, e-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams.
The global volume of e-waste has grown by 21 per cent over the past five years, and in 2019 the UN estimated up to US$57 billion worth of gold, silver, copper, palladium and other high-value materials were discarded annually as e-waste worldwide [1].
The $16.7 million New Industries Fund was established to support and accelerate new and emerging businesses to diversify the Western Australian economy and create new jobs.
The WasteSorted E-Waste Grants supports the WA Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 objectives to avoid waste, recover more value and resources from waste, and protect the environment from the impacts of waste.
Applications for WasteSorted E-Waste Grants are now open and close on 16 November 2020.
Innovation and ICT Minister, Dave Kelly, said the State Government is committed to reducing electronic waste through innovative technology and is encouraging the growth of the recycling industry.
“Recycling e-waste is not only good for the environment; it also creates jobs in Western Australia,” Minister Kelly said.
“These grants will support R&D that improves the efficiency and reduces costs for the recycling of e-waste.”
“Grants are also available for organisations such as local governments, who can immediately increase the volume of e-waste they collect for recycling and prevent these valuable assets from ending up in landfill,” he said.
Environment Minister, Stephen Dawson, added that there are three times more jobs in recycling than when a similar amount of waste is sent to landfill, so the WA Government is really keen to reinforce the message that landfill is the last resort.
“As technology rapidly evolves, we need to develop better ways to recycle old technology so those resources don’t end up in landfill,” Minister Dawson said.
“The WasteSorted E-Waste Grants are aimed at developing better ways to deal with the issue, so we can recycle this waste in WA, supporting WA Waste Strategy objectives including material recovery, environmental protection and progress towards a more circular economy.”
