The Queensland Government hopes to reverse a trend of more waste going to landfills. Photo: Danil Rudenko.
The Queensland Government is investing in local councils to help them boost recycling rates and divert waste from landfills.
Under the Resource Recovery Boost Fund, councils will receive $130 million to lift their recycling rates after a recent decline.
During the tenure of the previous Labor government, waste sent to landfill increased, from 1.7 million tonnes in 2015 to nearly 2 million tonnes today.
The first round of the Resource Recovery Boost Fund grants will make $60 million available for councils to apply for up to $2 million for small projects with regional and local benefits. They may also apply for more than $2 million for larger projects with regional statewide impacts.
“The Crisafulli Government is committed to boosting Queensland’s recycling rate after a decade of decline under Labor,” Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said.
“Queensland is ranked third last in national recycling rates, and we are determined to turn that around.
“We have been working with councils to boost recycling rates across Queensland and this funding will help build the infrastructure they need.”
The Resource Recovery Boost Fund works in tandem with other programs, such as the Growing the Recovery of Organic Waste via Food Organics, Garden Organics (GROW FOGO), which has funded nearly half a million new green bins. The government credits this program with diverting more than 100,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfills.
In addition, the government has extended its partnership with Recycle Mate, a free app that gives users easy-to-access advice on disposing of and recycling used household goods safely and responsibly.
The investment with Recycle Mate is worth $2.4 million and will extend the partnership for three years.
