An extra 137,000 tonnes of Victoria’s plastic, glass, and tyre waste will be transformed into new products every year due to a $36.5 million funding boost for local recycling facilities.

Thirteen funded projects to build or upgrade our state’s recycling infrastructure will create more than 200 jobs, reduce the amount of material going to landfill, and support the creation of innovative new products from recycled materials.

Victorians will see more recycled content used in the items and infrastructure they use every day, from recycled glass in road construction, to recycled plastic bottles, garden pots, and railway sleepers for the state’s train network.

Of the 13 funded projects, six are located in regional Victoria.

The Australian and Victorian governments have partnered under the Australian government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund.

This is a joint investment to boost resource recovery facilities across the state and keep materials circulating in the economy at their highest value.

Circular Plastics Australia, a joint venture between Pact Group, Cleanaway, Asahi Beverages, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will receive $6 million for its new PET recycling facility.

This industry-leading model for recycling solutions will process raw plastic material equivalent to around 1 billion bottles each year, producing more than 22,000 tonnes of new recycled PET bottles and food grade packaging.

Sustainability Victoria will manage the successful projects funded by the Australian and Victorian governments through the Recycling Victoria – Recycling Modernisation Fund.

It’s all part of the Victorian government’s $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector as Victoria shifts to a circular economy over the next 10 years.

Innovation will play a pivotal role in our circular economy, as new technology helps us move towards a future where all our resources are produced, consumed, collected, recycled, and retained at their highest value, purchased and reused, circulating continuously through the supply chain.

By working with industry and leveraging private investment in infrastructure projects, Sustainability Victoria will drive innovation to achieve a clean economy for Victoria and ensure our state achieves its ambitious target to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030.