$11 Million Investment to Improve Recycling in Regional Northern Territory

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen during a tour of the Visy Recycling Facility in Brisbane, Australia on October 12, 2020 . Photo by Darren England - Pool/Getty Images

The Australian and Northern Territory (NT) Governments will invest $11 million (US$7.9 million) in new recycling infrastructure to ensure better access to recycling in regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory.

The project, which will be conducted under the Morrison government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF), will focus on addressing the imbalance of recycling opportunities across the Territory and include a $7.2 million (US$5.17 million) investment in a new Materials Recovery Facility in Katherine, 317km (197 miles) south-east of Darwin.

In a media release on Wednesday, Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, said the Federal Government wants to ensure that Territory residents have access to recycling facilities, especially for glass, plastic, paper and tyres.

“The Katherine Materials Recovery Facility will meet the needs of areas that are currently without access to recycling facilities,” she said.

Meanwhile, Northern Territory Environment Minister Eva Lawler said the NT would use the remaining $3.8 million (US$2.73 million) to establish a grants program, which focuses on new recycling and recovery infrastructure.

“The Territory Government is protecting the environment and creating opportunities to grow the Territory’s economy by turning waste into a valuable commodity,” she said.

“Investment of $11 million in recycling infrastructure will see all levels of government, industries and community working together to transition the Territory into a circular economy.”

According to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, in our present economy, we take materials from the earth, manufacture products, and eventually throw them away as waste, making the process linear.

Conversely, in a circular economy, we prevent waste from being produced in the first place through eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials at their highest value, and regenerating nature.

Lawler added that the Territory Government would create opportunities to expand local business, with a focus on keeping waste out of landfill and recycling that waste into valuable commodities.

“This co-investment with the Commonwealth to modernise recycling infrastructure is a key initiative of the Territory’s draft Circular Economy Strategy,” she said.

Some innovative examples of how recycled materials are currently being used in Australia are turning post-industrial fly ash into building blocks, making eMesh fibre reinforcement for concrete out of recycled plastic, and transforming PET plastic bottles into workstation screens and acoustic panels.

Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans said that the Australian Government aims to have more Territorians given access to the waste and recycling facilities that Top End residents enjoy.

“Today’s announcement will allow the Northern Territory to increase its recycling infrastructure, as it seeks to overcome the difficulties that come with a small and dispersed population affected by seasonality, “ he said.

“The challenge is to drive improvement without economies of scale, and inevitably, the solutions will involve innovative technology and carefully targeted investments.”

The national Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) is expected to generate over $800 million (US$574.2 million) of recycling investment from the Federal Government, state and territory governments, as well as industry investments.

The RMF, combined with other measures to support Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, will create an estimated 10,000 new jobs and prevent 10 million tonnes of waste from entering landfill.