Driving Investment for New Recycling Fund

Up to $500,000 is available for new infrastructure to improve the collection, sorting and treatment of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste and municipal solid waste (MSW).

Overview

The Driving Investment for New Recycling Round 2 (DINR2) program will provide $3 million funding to support the installation of new infrastructure or upgrade existing infrastructure to improve the collection, sorting and/or treatment of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste and municipal solid waste (MSW):

significantly increases the recovery of valuable material and diverts it from landfill (minimum of 5,000 tonnes per annum)
creates new and sustainable employment, and
supports viable business and markets in Victoria that encourages private sector investment.

Objectives

In particular, Round 2 of the Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund will prioritise activities that:

sort and separate mixed C&I waste streams to recover recyclable material or develop refuse derived fuels
manage, treat or stabilise C&I-derived food organics, and
add significant recycling capacity (i.e. greater than 5,000 tonnes per annum) to the C&I and MSW sectors.

Background

The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to reinvesting landfill levy revenue into the waste industry to improve the capacity to recover resources that would otherwise be sent to landfill. The DINR2 program will provide funding to support the installation of new infrastructure or upgrade existing infrastructure to increase the capacity of the Victorian recycling industry. Sustainability Victoria (SV) will administer these funds on behalf of the Victorian Coalition Government. DINR2 is a component of the Government’s Conserve, Invest, Save strategy.

Funding

Funding between $200,000 and $500,000 will be available for infrastructure and implementation costs. Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund projects are required to have matched funding in the ratios of:

- - 50% (SV$1:$1) for local government authorities and NGOs
  - 33% (SV$1:$2) for industry.

Merit

Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund projects will be assessed on their ability to:

- - recover significant additional material (i.e. in the order of 5,000 tonnes per annum or greater) from the C&I and MSW sectors and divert this material from landfill, or
  - sort and separate mixed C&I waste streams to recover recyclable material or develop refuse derived fuels; or
  - manage, treat or stabilise C&I-derived food organics Projects will be considered favourably where they:
  - create new and sustainable employment, or
  - encourage private sector investment, support viable businesses and strengthen markets in
  - are proven in their efficacy and effectiveness, and
  - can be easily replicated.

All Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund projects must:

- - demonstrate significant recovery potential (i.e. in the order of 5,000 tonnes per annum or greater)
  - demonstrate a high level of control over feed stock, for example through collection contracts or systems
  - have an established market for any end products.

Eligible Projects

Examples of Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund projects that will be considered:

- - C&I pre-sorting infrastructure to recover recyclables (e.g. paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and timber) or to create refused derived fuel products from mixed C&I loads
  - C&I food waste treatment and/or stabilisation, such as in-vessel facilities, digestion, dehydration and/or gas capture technology (can include onsite, local or precinct scale solutions)
  - precinct or area scale solutions to improve C&I source separation (e.g. shopping precincts or centres, strip retail, industrial estates, commercial buildings)
  - infrastructure which promotes additional colour sorting and recovery of glass (down to at least 8mm or smaller).

The Driving Investment for New Recycling Program is directed towards new and/or upgrades to existing infrastructure for the recovery of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) materials such as:

- - sorting, recovery and processing of residual waste
  - management, treatment and recovery of C&I-derived food organics
  - recovery and processing of increased amounts of material from the C&I and MSW sectors.

Inelligible Projects

Driving Investment in New Recycling Funding will not be provided for:

- - projects that do not meet the priorities of the program
  - activities that do not directly contribute to increased diversion of organics or recyclable materials from landfill including, but not limited to, education activities, training, feasibility studies, audit activities
  - projects not located in Victoria
  - hazardous waste (including asbestos) projects
  - e-waste projects
  - pre-construction activities, such as site clearing, earthworks or site accessibility works.
  - where applicant organisations have failed to address a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 or Environmental Protection (Amended) Act 2006
  - projects that cannot reasonably be completed in the appropriate program timelines
  - applications submitted after the closing date
  - requests for retrospective funding, where projects have commenced construction or are completed prior to receiving funding approval (Construction includes, but is not limited to, site clearing, earthworks and building works)
  - the purchase of land
  - projects that require ongoing funding or support other than the initial grant
  - routine or cyclical maintenance works
  - repair of facilities damaged by vandalism, fire or other natural disasters where the damage should be covered by insurance
  - ongoing operational costs such as, but not limited to, salaries, electricity, water and other utilities
  - costs associated with the purchase of transport or any other type of vehicle
  - organisations that have failed to complete any previous projects funded by Sustainability Victoria.

Expressions of Interest

Driving Investment for New Recycling Round 2 is a two stage application process:

- Stage 1 – Eligible organisations are invited to submit an expression of interest (EOI) that will be assessed by a panel of industry and government representatives. Priority projects that best meet the priorities of the program will progress to Stage 2. Progression to Stage 2 does not guarantee funding.
- Stage 2 – Organisational and financial viability assessments will be undertaken on projects identified as priority projects from Stage 1. Organisations that pass the organisational and financial viability assessment will be invited to develop a full business case that will be submitted for consideration to the panel. Submission of the Business Case does not guarantee funding.

Organisations that are eligible to apply are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund providing an outline of the proposed project using the attached form. Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund submissions will be evaluated by a panel to prioritise projects based on the ability to meet the priorities of the fund.

Successful Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund submissions will be subject to a financial and organisational analysis to determine capacity to deliver the project within the term of funding. Sustainability Victoria will engage consultants to work with applicants to develop a detailed business case and project plan. The business case will form the basis for final application for funding. The business case will be assessed as part of a competitive process by a panel. The submission of a business case does not guarantee funding.

Expert Assistance

Writing a good quality grant application is a critical element in the application process. An application needs to be well thought through, written concisely, have clear objectives and purpose, and show clear links to the objectives of the Driving Investment for New Recycling Fund. The application must answer all questions, provide all required information and respond to the merit criteria. It should also reflect your organisation’s business plan.

Writing a good application takes time and effort, and requires particular writing skills. If you need help writing your Driving Investment in New Recycling Fund application, please contact (03) 9005 6789 to discuss how we can assist further

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