$2.3 million in grants have been distributed across Tasmania to expand food waste collection services and set up new tip shops.
Nine councils and waste companies will share the funding to build infrastructure that diverts materials from landfill.
Projects include everything from vacuum truck systems to permanent reuse centres at waste transfer stations.
Launceston City Council will use its share to launch a new food organics collection service for businesses, while the Meander Valley Council will build a community recycling centre in Deloraine.
The George Town and Huon Valley councils will establish tip shops at their waste transfer stations, giving the public the chance to buy recovered items before they end up in landfill.
Cradle Coast Envirowaste secured funding for a vacuum truck waste recovery system and Southern Waste Solutions for a resource processing pilot project.
The grants, worth between $50,000 and $500,000 each, are aimed at facilities handling more than 1,000 tonnes of waste a year. They are funded through Tasmania’s landfill levy.
The second round of grants by the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board backs projects that move materials “up the waste hierarchy” – prioritising reuse and recycling over disposal.
“Each of these grants is a step toward a circular Tasmanian economy – where products are designed to stay in use, repaired when possible and recycled into new materials here at home,” said board chair Pam Allan.
Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie said the government was reinvesting landfill levy revenue to help businesses and councils keep resources out of landfill.
“We are working together to move our state forward and these grants continue to be rolled out, supporting the upgrade of facilities, purchase of specialist equipment and collection services,” she said.
