Community Recycling Centres | Funding and support

This program is currently closed.

Purpose

This $14.35 million program is aimed at establishing a network of community recycling centres for householders across New South Wales to dispose of and recycle problem wastes. The centres will be provided through the upgrade of existing facilities or the construction of new facilities. Where a fixed facility is not feasible, development and trial of innovative solutions may be considered.

This program is being delivered through a partnership between the NSW Environmental Trust and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as part of the Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. Additional information can be found on the EPA website.

Funding available

The program offered grants of up to $300,000 per project for infrastructure costs to build a new facility or upgrade an existing one.

100% of infrastructure costs may be provided if either:

the infrastructure is built on publicly owned or leased land and the applicant is a state or local government body
the applicant is a not-for-profit or non-government organisation.

50% of infrastructure costs may be provided if either:

the infrastructure is built on privately owned land
the applicant is a commercial organisation (private industry).

Who can apply?

The following organisations are eligible to apply:

not-for-profit or non-government organisations (as defined by the Australian Taxation Office) with an established legal status
not-for-profit or non-government organisations without a legal status that can be administered by another organisation
NSW local councils (as defined in the Local Government Act 1993) in certain areas (see below)
other organisations controlled by local government or deemed to have a local government function
private industry or a partnership as defined by the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
regional waste groups, regional organisations of councils or joint organisations of councils. These bodies may make applications or coordinate projects on behalf of one or more NSW councils in their regional group, as long as each council nominates a contact person for the project
state government entities.

Note: All applicants must be legally constituted entities and be organisations, not individuals or sole traders.

At the program outset 3 community recycling centres were established as demonstration sites to inform and support other organisations who might be considering establishing a centre in their area. Case studies can be downloaded from EPA website, which provides helpful tips and suggestions for those considering developing a community recycling centre.

Reporting obligations

If you are successful in obtaining funding for your project, you will need to provide regular reports on your progress.

Project measures table

A project measures table will be provided to you with your grant agreement. The project measures table will assist with setting the project baseline, creating targets, recording progress and project achievements.

An updated project measures table will need to be submitted with each progress report.

Progress reports and final report

You are required to submit milestone (progress) reports at agreed intervals to outline what your project has achieved and next steps.

Milestone reports are submitted to the Environmental Trust, who will check to ensure that expenditure is as per the agreed budget. The reports will also be reviewed by technical experts who may provide feedback or advice. Once reviewed and accepted the associated payment will be processed.

A final report will be required upon completion of the project, and once checked and approved the final payment will be made.

Please use milestone reporting form (DOCX 75KB) and final reporting form (DOCX 75KB) for these reports.

Financial reports

You must submit a statement of expenditure with each milestone report. A certified financial report will be required as part of the final report.

Where to send reports

Please email reports and other documents to [email protected] (50MB limit).

Acknowledgement requirement

You are required to acknowledge the funding you have received from the Trust in all publications and materials related to your project. Please use the wording below:

This project is supported by the Environmental Trust as part of the NSW Environment Protection Authority's Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy.

You also need to use the NSW Government logo. See Funding acknowledgement and logos for details.

Grants awarded

In 2019 (round 5) a total of $1,125,625 was allocated to 6 councils.
In 2017 (round 4) a total of $992,218 was allocated to 5 councils.
In 2015 (round 3) a total of $1,707,710 was allocated to 10 councils.
In 2014 (round 2) a total of $5,166,602 was allocated to 25 councils and 6 regional waste groups.
In 2013 (round 1) a total of $4,581,547 was allocated to 29 councils and 2 regional waste groups.

See the Project summaries.