Circular North

Circular North provides advice, funding, and education to better manage waste and recycling within northern Tasmanian communities, businesses and local governments.

Background

Circular North (formerly known as the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group), is a regional initiative established in 2007. Formerly hosted by the City of Launceston, Circular North is now hosted by NRM North. Partners include the region’s eight local councils of Break O'Day, Dorset, Flinders Island, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands and West Tamar, as well as Rethink Waste Tasmania, which is an initiative of the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group, Circular North and Southern Tasmanian Regional Waste Authority in partnership with the Tasmanian Government.

Guided by the waste hierarchy, an internationally accepted guide for prioritising waste management practices, Circular North applies principles of ecologically sustainable development to inform their strategy and achieve significant improvements in resource recovery.

Circular North was previously funded through a voluntary levy on waste disposed to the region’s participating landfills. With the introduction of the statewide waste levy, the program has a revised governance structure and is funded by the Waste and Resource Recovery Board.

Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants

The Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants support successful applicants in northern Tasmania to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills through innovative activities, increase the recovery of resources from waste that would otherwise be lost to landfills, or strengthen northern Tasmania’s circular economy. Applications are currently closed.

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Strategic focus

Waste management strategic planning across Australia has sought to build upon the waste hierarchy model by introducing circular economy (CE) principles, seen in the National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019 and the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2023-2026. The Strategy provides guidance to the Waste and Resource Recovery Board and the Tasmanian Government on how the landfill levy should be reinvested.

Circular North has a unique opportunity to work independently to achieve a prosperous economy and better environment for the residents and businesses of northern Tasmania, by working towards the following objectives:

Eliminate waste and pollution – encourage product design and strategies that increase waste avoidance and allow reuse, repair and recycling
Circulate products and materials – ensure resources remain in the economy at their highest value (either a product or raw material)
Regenerate natural systems – transition away from a linear take-make-waste economy to one that supports natural regeneration.

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Household Hazardous Waste Collection

It is dangerous to dispose household hazardous waste in your general rubbish or recycling bin. These chemicals can cause fires in bins and garbage trucks, creating a safety hazard for truck drivers, the general community, and the environment. Correct disposal of these chemicals through household hazardous waste collections reduces waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, or disposed of in ways that can impact the health of our waterways.

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Quick Q&A

Is there funding available?

Currently, there is no funding available. The last round of the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants closed on 4 August 2023.

A total of $145,000 was available under the 2023/2024 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants, which supported successful applicants for eligible project costs associated with:

circular economy initiatives
projects that reduce waste going to landfill
procuring innovative recycling infrastructure
educational materials necessary to improve waste management practices in the Northern Tasmanian area.

Eligible organisations could apply for a grant of up to $50,000 (ex-GST) (the maximum grant amount) for eligible project costs.