Victoria makes $3m joint investment in soft plastics recycling

The Victorian and federal governments will invest more than $14 million in new organic recycling facilities in Victoria. The joint funding, announced on Thursday, will support seven projects across the state to divert up to 15,000 tonnes of food and garden waste from landfill.

The $14.26m will improve the quality of recycled organic products such as compost, soil conditioners and mulches by removing material contaminating them. Six of the seven organic waste recycling projects will be in regional areas, with up to 134 jobs created during the construction phase.

“When we recycle food and organic waste, we don’t just take pressure off our landfill, we create a valuable new commodity,” Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said in Melbourne on Thursday.

“Taking materials out of landfill, that in itself is good. But even better, we’re re-engineering those materials into precious new resources for our farmers.”

The governments will also jointly invest $3m for a large recycling facility in Altona in Melbourne’s southwest.

The facility will recycle 30,000 tonnes of soft plastic into food-grade soft plastic and washed flakes of low-density polyethylene.