Sustainability Program

The Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Program (NTWMP) is a regional program that was formed in 2007 and formerly hosted by the City of Launceston. 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.

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

The NTWMP was previously funded through a voluntary levy on waste disposed to the region’s participating landfills. With the introduction of the state-wide waste levy, the Program has a revised governance structure and is funded by the Waste and Resource Recovery Board.

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 Draft Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2022-2025. The Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Program 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); and
• Regenerate natural systems – transition away from a linear take-make-waste economy to one that supports natural regeneration.

The Circular Economy Business Grant Program has already begun to support local businesses, investing in projects that decrease waste generation and increase the recirculation of resources. Future waste targets and actions will encourage the transition to a circular economy.

2023-2024 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants

The NTWMP Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants will allocate grants to successful applicants in northern Tasmania that are working towards decreasing the amount of waste sent to landfill through innovative core activities, increasing the recovery of resources from waste that would otherwise be lost to landfill, or strengthening northern Tasmania’s circular economy.

Financial support will be provided for eligible project costs associated with:

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

$145,000 is available under the 2023-2024 Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Grants which will be distributed between successful applicants.