Queensland Government’s waste industry funding program now open

WHO SHOULD READ THIS

Participants in the waste industry and local governments

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Applications for funding are now open for resource recovery and recycling projects that remove waste from landfill

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Submit an application if you have a suitable project.

The Queensland Government’s $100 million Resource Recovery Development Program is now open for submissions to obtain funding for projects aiming to remove waste from landfill and capitalise on new technologies.

Under the three year program, local governments and the private sector can apply to the Government for funding under the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program (the Program). The Government is also encouraging local governments and the private sector to work together to deliver integrated projects. Proposals are expected to include projects that create new products from waste, expand the recycling industry and reduce environmental impact.

The Three Funding Streams

The Program is divided into three streams, based on the scale and the level of support required and will be administered by the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP).

Stream one (Resource Recovery Grants Fund) is a rounds-based capital grants stream for infrastructure projects and capital investments in new processing and technological capabilities, offering dollar-for-dollar grants from $50,000 up to $5 million. Project applicants are to contribute a minimum of 25% towards the project with the remainder capable of being sourced from other agencies (other than DSDMIP).

Stream two (Resource Recovery Project Fund) is a broad incentives stream targeting major resource recovery operations that focus on landfill diversion and resource recovery outcomes.

Stream three (Resource Recovery Investment Pipeline Fund) provides funding for studies for proposed capital-intensive, long lifecycle projects requiring support for investigations to assist with final investment decisions for Queensland.

Eligibility Guidelines

There are guidelines published for each of the streams that outline what projects are generally considered eligible and those not considered eligible.

Projects considered eligible include:

• collection and transfer infrastructure, including kerbside or commercial waste collection systems and resource recovery centres and recycling drop off centres;
• organics processing;
• recovery and sorting facilities;
• recovery of construction and demolition waste;
• reprocessing, including refining sorted recyclable material into higher quality products and manufacturing new products from sorted recyclables;
• bioprocessing facilities;
• energy-from-waste;
• industrial biotechnology and bio-products infrastructure; and
• on-site and precinct solutions, including reducing waste generated by a specific business or group of businesses.

Projects not considered eligible include:

• landfill projects;
• projects that have already commenced or are planned to commence;
• projects that are commercially viable and attractive in the short-term without financial acceleration (for streams one and two);
• projects undertaken outside Queensland or infrastructure that is intended to process wastes imported from outside Queensland;
• projects that do not demonstrate the commercial capability of technology being deployed;
• projects not directly resulting in new infrastructure investment, including educational programs, market development, strategy development and feasibility studies; and
• projects already funded by grants from local, state or federal government departments for the same project costs (for streams two and three).

Expressions of interest for stream one are open until Friday, October 5 for the first round of applications. There is proposed to be two rounds of applications each year under this fund.

For each of streams two and three, applications can be submitted at any time while the funds remain open. The first stage of stream two is by expression of interest which assesses the project’s eligibility. There is only one application for stream three.

Funding is expected to begin within the first half of 2019.

What is not clear for the Program is the split of the $100 million across each of the three streams. No doubt this will be of interest to applicants, particularly given the expected competition for the funding and the number of projects likely be brought to the Government.

It should be noted that the streams are not assessed on a ‘first come first served’ basis and DSDMIP reserves the right to allocate funding based on demand and the total funding available, as well as its other criteria and conditions.

This publication covers legal and technical issues in a general way. It is not designed to express opinions on specific cases. It is intended for information purposes only and should not be regarded as legal advice. Further advice should be obtained before taking action on any issue dealt with in this publication.