VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT steps up to recycling

AUSTRALIAN WASTE and recycling equipment specialists, Wastech Engineering (which also operates in New Zealand), has welcomed the Federal Government’s AUD20m grants designed to grow Australia’s domestic recycling capabilities.

The grants which are available under the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program are a step towards an eventual ban of waste export paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and tyre products, with a view to turning these recycled materials into reusable products.

The Victorian Government has also added to the CRC Grants with AUD11.3m of funds for local councils, to relieve the financial stress caused by certain recycling providers no longer accepting waste, and to invest in recycling infrastructure.

In light of the imminent export bans in which the media has painted a gloomy picture, Wastech Managing Director Neil Bone said that companies such as Wastech were ready and well prepared to assist local Government and industry with a wide range of solutions and products, that will meet the desired outcomes of converting waste products into useful products for the Australian consumer.

“This is a fantastic initiative by the Federal Government and allows any organisation with an interest in diverting waste from landfill, to apply for the grant and start minimising its environmental footprint,” Bone said. “As well as reducing waste, the program could spark job creation and further grow a local recycling sector.”

Wastech Engineering is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of waste handling and recycling equipment and systems for transfer stations and resource recovery centres.

With Wastech’s proven industry capabilities and equipment range, the company can offer turn-key solutions for material recovery, including: co-mingled recyclables, municipal solid waste, construction and demolition, commercial and industrial, waste to energy and e-waste.