The following organisations can apply for funding under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants:

Not-for-profit community organisations and schools

• An organisation that does not operate for the profit or gain of their members, including schools, charities and deductible gift recipients.

Other organisations

• Sole traders, small, medium and large businesses, local governments and local government organisations, state government organisations (including hospitals and tertiary education institutions)

Eligible organisation criteria

Organisations must:

1. be based and operate in the northern Tasmania area as defined by the council boundaries of Break O'Day, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, Dorset, West Tamar and Flinders Island.
2. be seeking to minimise waste to landfill from their operations, by implementing circular economy initiatives or community activities in the northern Tasmanian community.

Eligible organisations can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 (ex-GST) for eligible project costs associated with improving resource recovery, waste minimisation or circular economy initiatives.

The maximum grant amount for an individual project application is $10,000, however, larger projects may be eligible for a higher amount in the event the grants program is undersubscribed.

In 2026, $45,000 was advertised as available, to be split between schools, not-for-profit and other organisations. Strong applications were received and almost $60,000 was distributed to successful applicants.

Not-for-profit community organisations and schools.

The following can be funded by the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants 2026:

1. Procurement of ‘recycling hubs’: it should be noted that agreements with Circular North regarding monitoring and collection of recycled materials must be entered into with prospective grant recipients.
2. Projects involving litter management, awareness and prevention.
3. Programs that raise community awareness of recycling and waste management in migrant and international student communities and/or the broader community.
4. Projects that value-add or up-cycle materials otherwise destined for landfill, e.g. hand dryers to replace paper towel or water refill stations to replace single use water bottles.
5. Infrastructure to promote waste separation including: recycling and organics bin systems or worm farms.

All eligible organisations

The following can be funded by the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants 2026:

1. Procurement of ‘recycling hubs’, it should be noted that agreements with Circular North regarding monitoring and collection of recycled materials must be entered into with the prospective grant recipient.
2. Innovative recycling infrastructure that demonstrates best practice, including systems to increase resource recovery of commercial and industrial (C&I) and/or construction and demolition (C&D) wastes. (This does not include infrastructure that is a compliance requirement, or part of the applying organisation's usual business operations)
3. Projects involving litter management, awareness and prevention e.g. waste separation or reduction infrastructure.
4. Circular economy projects or infrastructure that value-add or up-cycle materials otherwise destined for landfill.
5. Programs that raise community awareness of recycling and waste management in migrant and international student communities and/or in the broader community.

Applications will be assessed by an independent assessment panel convened by Circular North, and funding recommendations will be endorsed by the Circular North Steering Committee. The assessment panel may request input from relevant subject matter experts for technical aspects where the assessment panel does not hold the requisite expertise.

Additionally, as part of the assessment process, commercial or private operators may be asked to provide financial information to the satisfaction of Circular North that allows financial viability to be verified.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. Community benefit – how the project benefits the northern Tasmanian community.
2. Project duration – how long the project provides a benefit to the northern Tasmanian community.
3. Commitment – the applicant's commitment to improving waste management, recycling and transitioning to a circular economy.
4. Landfill diversion – how the project leads to an improvement in resource recovery or waste minimisation.
5. Value for money – the financial value of the project compared to the expected benefits.
6. Cash contributions to the project.
7. Where bin infrastructure is to be installed, assessment that the bins meet the Australian Standards for bin colours.

• A cash co-contribution equal to 50% of the total eligible project cost is required for the project, except if the applicant is a school or not-for-profit community organisations. See the Application Guidelines for more information about in-kind contributions.
• Funding will be provided to successful applicants in two payments. Successful grant applicants will receive an upfront payment of 50% of the approved grant amount once relevant paperwork is signed and returned. Final payment to the applicant will be made once all expenditure has been incurred and evidence of expenditure provided to Circular North in the form of a correctly rendered tax invoice.
• Successful projects MUST be completed within 12 months of signing the funding agreement.

The following costs and activities will not be funded: 

1. Projects with a heavy bias on research and development or software applications.
2. Infrastructure not directly related to the project e.g. sheds, cement slabs, bunds.
3. Compliance requirements and business as usual operations including standard infrastructure upgrades at council transfer stations.
4. Projects for organisations that are based and operate outside of the northern Tasmanian area as defined by the council boundaries of Break O'Day, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, Dorset, West Tamar and Flinders Island.
5. Projects relating to hazardous waste (with the exception of projects that are educational such as sharps or asbestos disposal awareness programs).
6. Project management costs or staff salaries.
7. Costs of equipment not dedicated to the project purpose (e.g. vehicles).
8. Security or surveillance equipment.
9. Contingency costs.
10. Projects that commenced prior to notification of successful applicants, or projects that seek retrospective funding for work already completed at the time of application.
11. Ongoing costs such as bin bags, collection, transportation and processing services.
12. Staff training for training not directly related to this project.
13. In-kind costs are an ineligible contribution towards the total eligible project costs, except if the applicant is a not-for-profit community groups or school.

All applicants should ensure they have read and understood the Application Guidelines prior to submitting an application. To apply, applicants must complete the following steps:

STEP 1

Ensure your organisation is eligible to apply.

STEP 2

Check your project against the funding criteria and what the grants will fund.

STEP 3

Read the grant application conditions in accordance with application guidelines in the application form to ensure they are met.

STEP 4

Complete the application form available at www.circularnorth.org.au

STEP 5

Attach the following documents where applicable:

1. Supporting documents that respond to the required information.
2. Two current quotes.

(Prior approval must be sought from Circular North if the applicant is unable to provide two valid quotes).

STEP 6

Email the application form and additional documents to circularnorth@nrmnorth.org.au

You will also receive an acknowledgment email on successful submission of your application.

OPTION

Alternative application submission If you are unable to submit your application electronically, contact Circular North to arrange an alternative method for submission. Alternative arrangements must be made at least five business days prior to the application closing date.

If after reading the application guidelines you wish to find out more about the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants, or discuss your application please contact:

Steve Jordan

Program Manager - Circular North

Email: circularnorth@nrmnorth.org.au

Phone: 03 6333 7777

Evenfall Wines produces and distributes food and wine through their vineyard, cellar door and restaurant. The Evenfall Wines Circular Economy Project will divert organic waste from restaurant operations and winemaking to a large on-site composting program, that will provide nutrient-rich compost for their vines and garden.

Additionally, the project will enhance the pre-existing diversion of potential food waste from a local berry farm, utilising it in the restaurant and/or on-site composting, cardboard packaging material will be reused for wine sales and compostable material, and an associated community campaign will promote Evenfall as a local business focussed on community outcomes and sustainable practices.

The project estimates to divert over 300 tonnes of waste per year.

The Flinders Council Biochar Project will deliver to council a mobile biochar unit that can travel by trailer to different locations across Flinders Island and to Cape Barren Island, providing a practical and low emissions solution for managing weeds and green waste, while improving soil health.

Currently green waste is stockpiled and mulched, and at times incinerated, however this project will improve current practice by turning a waste problem into a valuable, locally produced resource.

The biochar unit will convert invasive weeds (African boxthorn, mirror bush), garden prunings, farm waste (including vineyard and olive grove prunings) and other carboniferous waste materials, into biochar. The approach locks carbon into a stable form, that can be applied to gardens, farms and community spaces to improve soil structure, increase water retention, support the slow release of fertiliser and results in long term carbon storage in soils.

The installation of a Share and Reuse Shed at the front of the Dorset Community House will provide a practical and inclusive way to reduce waste while directly supporting people experiencing hardship across Scottsdale and the broader Dorset community.

The clearly visible, welcoming space will encourage residents to share goods, and donate items they no longer need, rather than sending them to landfill. Usable household items, books, food and basic essentials will be redistributed locally, extending the life of products and reducing overall community waste.

It is estimated the project will divert over 10 tonnes of waste per year.

Campus Composting will enable the University of Tasmania to expand on it's already-successful composting program, which uses an in-vessel composting machine, funded through a Circular Economy Grant from a previous grant round.

The Inveresk Community Garden team currently produce around 20m³ of compost per annum and through the purchase and utilisation of additional resources such a chipper/shredder (for processing garden waste), timber to build additional storage bays for inputs, and purchasing additional compost caddies, UTAS staff and students will be able to increase the volume of organics processed for composting. The project will also support the production of educational signage to improve awareness about the benefits of composting. Approximately 15 tonnes of organic waste will be diverted from landfill each year.

FutureFwd Tasmania: A Scalable Circular Action Program is a community initiative that will help households and small businesses in northern Tasmania reduce waste and adopt practical circular economy practices.

The project will run for twelve months, starting with Kinda. Together, a community engagement and education phase. This phase will offer practical workshops, learning sessions, and community discussions on waste reduction, reuse, repair, and local circular solutions.

The program will conclude with FutureFwd, a flagship public event in the Launceston CBD and Inveresk area. This event will bring together community members, local businesses, and organisations for hands-on workshops, repair and reuse demonstrations, short talks, and a marketplace featuring low-waste and upcycled products and services.

After the event, Kinda. Together will continue as a long-term engagement stream, offering follow-up workshops, business support sessions, community meet-ups, and a regional resource map for reuse, repair, refill, borrowing, and recycling.

The grant will support the initial twelve-month delivery, however the project is designed as a repeatable model, with FutureFwd planned as a biennial event in Launceston and possible future expansion to other Tasmanian regions. An estimated 25 tonnes will be saved from landfill in the first year.

The acquisition of a textile shredding by the St Mary's Repurposing and Upcycling Group will enable the group to convert otherwise unusable textiles into stuffing for items made from other upcycled textiles (e.g. dog beds, meditation cushions), shred natural fibres to become compostable waste for garden mulch, or synthetic fibre base for concrete draping/moulding.

Textiles will be sorted and shredded, and will be readily available to schools, childcare centres and community members free, or for a small donation.

This project establishes a small-scale circular economy pilot on Flinders Island that diverts local cardboard and organic food waste from landfill and converts it into valuable outputs through managed insect farming. Cardboard and selected food scraps currently buried or exported off the island will now be processed as insect feedstock, producing insect protein suitable for use as poultry feed, along with insect frass, a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

Grant funds will contribute to the purchase and installation of infrastructure to enable safe and hygienic processing of these waste streams using established insect farming practices. The project will also be informed by applied research into native species, biosecurity considerations, and local environmental conditions.

Furneaux Collective will host a series of accessible, drop-in Flinders Island Pop Up Repair Fairs, a community led circular economy initiative designed to reduce waste to landfill by extending the life of everyday household items through repair, reuse and skills-sharing.

The events will be held at local community halls and spaces and community members will be invited to bring items such as clothing, textiles, wooden furniture, bikes, toys and small household goods for repair. Local “fixers” and skilled community members will guide participants through repairs, focusing on skill transfer rather than a drop-and-fix model.

Access to repair services currently on-island is limited and replacement via freight is costly and energy intensive. By supporting local repair, reuse and learning, the project diverts materials from landfill, reduces consumption, and strengthens community resilience.

This project proposes a design-led investigation into circular urban timber recovery in northern Tasmania, using a current Arbscape council-directed tree-removal as a test case for transforming urban tree waste into high-value design products.

Led by Launceston-based designer and maker Isaac Williams in partnership with Arbscape and Design Tasmania, the project will examine existing arboricultural practices and timber waste flows, identifying practical opportunities for capturing, milling, drying and storing timber typically chipped, burned or landfilled.

A recently removed oak tree, approximately 8–10m³ of timber (7.2–9 tonnes), will act as a live material case study to demonstrate the value contained in a single urban tree.

The core outcome of this project is the design and production of a small suite of furniture and objects developed directly from the recovered oak and presented through Design Tasmania’s Tasmania Makes program and exhibition. These works will serve as tangible proof-of-concept, communicating the environmental and cultural potential of urban timber reuse to councils, industry and public.

A longer-term ambition is the development of a community-accessible “Timber Bank”.

Grant funding has allowed Bridport Primary School to reduce paper waste and improve sustainability within the school by installing hand dryers in all bathroom facilities to replace the current use of pre-folded hand towels, and a recycling bin in the outdoor eating area. This was the only location in the school where students did not have the option to sort their waste, leading to unnecessary landfill contributions. The project will not only improve sustainability within the school but will also instil lifelong habits in their students, encouraging them to be more conscious of their environmental impact.

The Exeter High School Agriculture Program promotes sustainability and resilience in agricultural systems. With grant funding, a biochar kiln has been purchased, turning pruned branches and dry garden waste (biomass) from the school grounds and farm into a valuable resource that's no longer destined for landfill or burning. The biochar sequesters carbon, and will be used by the school to improve soil structure and water retention.

Golden Brown supports the local circular economy by collecting discarded organic waste from local hospitality businesses, offices and florists and composting the organic material on an urban farm and vineyard in Norwood, Launceston. Grant funds have supported the organisation's hot composting, vermicomposting and pyrolysis (bio char) systems, by funding the addition of worm farms to scale-up the operation.

Grant funding replaced ten paper towel dispensers in the school toilet blocks with energy-efficient hand dryers, significantly reducing paper waste. An awareness campaign educated students and staff about the benefits of using hand dryers over paper towels and promoted a more sustainable environment within the school community. The project will reduce paper waste, conserve natural resources, decrease landfill contributions, lower ongoing costs associated with purchasing and disposing of paper towels, and provide a more hygienic hand-drying solution.

Following the Tasmanian Government’s announcement of a Container Refund Scheme (CRS), Scouts Tasmanian developed a plan so all scout groups could participate equitably in the CRS, regardless of group size. Scouts branded blue wheelie bins were purchased with grant funding for halls in northern Tasmania to place as donation points at workplaces, and an event kit for the northern groups was created to support the collection of containers at events in the region.