Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants

The Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants support successful applicants to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill through innovative activities, and increase the recirculation of resources. Future waste targets and actions will encourage the transition to a circular economy.

Application status - OPENING SOON

Applications for funding opportunities through the 2026 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants are opening on Monday 17 November 2025.

UTAS-Circular Economy-2023-16

University of Tasmania is a previous grant recipient.

Background

Since being hosted by NRM North, Circular North’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants have provided $245,000 in funding to support innovative projects that reduce landfill waste and strengthen northern Tasmania’s circular economy. These grants have already helped divert more than 400 tonnes of waste from landfill, demonstrating a significant impact on resource recovery in the region.

A total of $50,000 is available under the 2025/2026 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants to 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.

Applications open on Monday 17 November, 2025.

Grant recipients - 2025

In 2025, a total pool of $50,000 was available to fund projects that supported circular economy initiatives, reduced waste going to landfill, invested in innovative recycling infrastructure and/or developed educational materials to improve waste management practices. Five individual applications were awarded up to $10,000 of financial support each for eligible project costs.

The total expected value of the funded projects is over $43,000 with an expected diversion of 217 tonnes from landfill per year.

Bridport Primary School - Eco-friendly Hand Dryers & Recycling

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.

Exeter High School - Green Waste to Soil Carbon

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 Tasmania - Golden Brown Composting

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.

Scottsdale Primary School - Sustain Our School

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.

Tasmanian Scouts - CRS Project North

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.

Grant recipients - 2023/2024

The theme for the 2023/2024 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants was ‘Turning trash into treasure’. Over $30,000 of funding was awarded to six organisations to support innovative concepts focusing on upcycling, repurposing and rehoming goods while reducing items going to landfill, as well as impressive projects supporting sustainable practices.

Applications for this grant round closed on 14 May 2023, and projects were completed by June 2024. The total value of these projects once completed was projected to be over $85,000 and is estimated to divert over 165 tonnes of waste from landfill per annum.

George Town Neighbourhood House - The Great Giveaway

Grant funding facilitated the acquisition of a shipping container, shelving units, and containers for the George Town Neighbourhood House, enabling the establishment of a structured and efficient system for organising, sorting, and presenting items during their "The Great Giveaway" events.

City of Launceston - Repair Café

City of Launceston’s monthly Repair Café teaches people how to fix everything from clothing and furniture to bikes and electronics. The grant funding enabled the purchase of valuable equipment including an industrial sewing machine (capable of repairing tougher fabrics such as camping and hiking equipment), a bike stand, an iFixit laptop, and a phone repair kit, broadening the range of items that can be repaired.

City of Launceston - Reusable Nappy and Sanitary Product Rebate

Have been granted funds to provide financial incentive for community members to invest in more sustainable and environmentally conscious choices of sanitary products (reusable pads, period cups, LBL underwear etc.) and reusable nappies. The council hopes the rebate will help reduce waste, support the needs of the community, and help progress towards the goal of zero waste to landfill.

Tamar Valley Steiner School - Organic Waste Management

The Tamar Valley Steiner School is aiming to strengthen their green footprint by adding to existing composting facilities at the school in St Leonards. Grant funding purchased a large compost tumbler and two rodent-proof worm farms that can handle a greater volume of waste. The school also invested in a FOGO bin to dispose of paper towel. With a focus on sustainability, the school is continuously seeking ways to divert and minimise waste going to landfill.

Flinders Island - Earth Global Consulting Worm Farms

Transporting food by sea and air to Flinders Island can be unreliable. To increase food security and reduce organic waste, in-line with the island's vision for zero-waste, residents are being encouraged to grow their own produce, and utilise worm farms to process organic waste. The Grant funds have contributed to the installation of a trial worm farm, where the three units are capable of processing up to 60 litres of organic waste a day, resulting in nearly 9,000 litres of microbe-rich vermicast available to food growers every year. The units have been installed at the Flinders Council main waste facility at Whitemark.

The Organic Grocery Store - Shop, and farm waste recycling

Grant funds supported the expansion of the grocery store's worm farms from two to seven, and allowed for three composts working on their farm and egg production in Westbury. Increasing the amount of worm farms and composting units will allow a closed loop waste recycling situation for organic waste generated at the store and on-farm.

Grant recipients - 2020/2021

Recipients of the 2020/2021 Resource Recovery and Waste minimisation grants program allocated $70,000 towards funding eligible organisations in northern Tasmania who demonstrated innovation towards decreasing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

The program responded to financial pressures associated with meeting landfill management, environmental and rehabilitation standards, as well as the need to reduce the strain on landfill airspace and the environment by recycling and reusing materials.

The 2020/2021 Waste Minimisation Grants Program closed on 1 December 2020 with financial support being provided across 12 projects to help fund costs associated with procuring infrastructure or educational materials necessary to improve waste management practices in northern Tasmania. The total value of these projects once completed is over $287,000 and is estimated to divert more than 128 tonnes of waste from landfill per annum.

Fork it Farm - Lebrina

Through the grants, the pig farm applied to purchase a kiln that processes bones to create biochar. The biochar is then used to create a nutrient rich soil. As an added bonus, this process also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Westbury Primary School - Westbury

The school received funding to set up a recycling hub onsite. The hub is open to students, staff, and the wider community and has allowed the recycling of nonrecyclable items, such as batteries, printer cartridges, and coffee pods, through kerbside recycling collection. This initiative has diverted hundreds of kilos of waste from landfills.

University of Tasmania – Inveresk Campus

The grants allowed the University to develop an on-site FOGO Waste Management System as part of their community food garden. This system means their food and garden waste can be made into compost, which is then used to nourish their community gardens.

Launceston College - Plastic Fantastic Planters

Have been granted funds to help establish a new student enterprise initiative that is focused on diverting plastic waste from landfill by turning plastic into planters. Bottle lids will primarily be used as a raw material as they are currently unable to be recycled. The College will not just collect, sort and recycle the plastic but close the loop on this recycling stream by creating a sustainable, marketable product in these planters which will be sold in the colleges new retail space “The Cell” and other local small businesses. This project aims to demonstrate the profitability of a sustainable product and the ability of students to design, manufacture, market, and sell 100% recycled products.

Northern Midlands Council - Recycling Trailer

Have received waste minimisation grants to construct a recycling hub trailer for the collection of items that are not recyclable through the kerbside recycling collection such as CD’s, bread tags, coffee pods etc. The trailer will be taken to schools and community events to increase awareness of recycling including the new and emerging waste streams and will encourage the community to recycle these items rather than them ending up in landfill.

Rotary Club of Central Launceston - Recycling Batteries with Rotary

Have been granted funding to provide their Rotarians with two battery recycling boxes to place in their workplaces and their partner’s workplaces to encourage staff and customers to deposit used batteries for recycling. The boxes will be brought to weekly Rotary meetings in which the batteries will get placed into a bigger collection container to be taken to the local recycling depot. The aim of the project is to increase the awareness about the need to divert used batteries from landfill and the harmful effect on the environment and safety issues they pose to collection contractors and landfill operators.

Lilydale Community Recycling Trailer

Have been granted funds to build a trailer to take out to the Lilydale Waste Transfer Station once a week to allow the Lilydale community to bring in their recyclable items for recycling. The initial phase of the project is to offer cardboard, e-waste, commingled and household battery recycling with plans to expand the project and establish a mobile recycling hub if the trailer is the initial phase is successful. When the trailer is not in use at Lilydale there is capacity to utilise the trailer at schools and at events and festivals around the Launceston municipality.

Launceston Big Picture School - Smells Like Green Spirit

Have been granted funds to purchase a compost tumbler so the school can improve their carbon footprint and recycle the food waste that comes from their commercial kitchen. The first stage of the waste minimisation grants project will be to set up a compost team to lead to the school-wide waste audit in the first term of 2021, the school advisory group will then be charged with educating the school community about composting. This project will also involve teaching the students about the science of composting with a hands on learning opportunity that will be integrated into the school curriculum.

Shachaya Group Pty Ltd - Organisational Waste Recycling

Have been grated funds to establish sustainable waste management receptacles at the Panorama Resort St Helens. The project will involve purchasing recycling bins for glass, paper, plastic and aluminium and produce educational material for the guests on how to recycle.

Longford Primary School - Longford Using Waste to Improve our Place

Have been granted funds to help establish a school orchard and chicken coop for their food and garden waste that they compost onsite. The project involves the purchase of multisort bins for the school and wicking beds for the garden.

Partners

Circular North is supported by the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board, which is funded by the Tasmanian Government.

Partners

Circular North is supported by the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board, which is funded by the Tasmanian Government.