The Victorian government has launched a $7m Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre, that it says will fast-track the state’s “recycling revolution”, and has immediately put $13m on the table to be claimed as grants through the centre.
The centre has been designed to work with a variety of businesses – from farms and cafes to factories and appliance shops – to streamline the way they operate, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.
The first focus area of the centre will be reducing food and organic waste, which currently costs the Victorian economy $6bn each year.
It was opened on 20 November by the minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio. To mark the launch of the centre, the first round of the $10m Recycling Victoria Business Support Fund is now open. The fund will help businesses, industry groups and not-for-profit organisations to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste to landfill, increase recycling and reduce their operating costs.
The first round of the $3m Recycling Victoria Innovation Fund is also now available. This funding will support partnerships between businesses, industry groups, research institutions, community groups and charities to identify, develop and scale-up more environmentally sustainable opportunities and business models.
D’Ambrosio said, “This new centre will spark innovation and help businesses to make sustainable changes and reduce waste.”
“This will gather some of the best minds and research about recycling innovation, so that Victorian businesses can get the most out of their materials.”
The new innovation centre will bring together businesses, industry groups, research institutions and not-for-profit organisations, in order says the government, to create solutions to reduce waste, increase recycling and reuse, and generate new revenue for Victorian businesses.
The new centre will do research, and offer expert advice and resources, through a virtual hub, and will facilitate collaboration and events, and offer grants and support for businesses.
The centre is part of Recycling Victoria – the Government’s action plan and investment of more than $300m to transform the state’s recycling sector, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.
This work will build off Sustainability Victoria’s successful Love Food Hate Waste program that has helped reduce the 250,000 tonnes of edible food that is thrown away by households each year – enough to fill Melbourne’s Eureka Tower.
Heading to circular economy: New Vic recycing innovation hub opened
