Building Tasmania’s circular economy

12 November 2020

Roger Jaensch MP

2020-21 Budget: Building Tasmania’s circular economy

More than $30 million will be invested in waste and resource recovery initiatives across Tasmania to help us build a circular economy as part of a stronger Tasmania.

The 2020-21 State Budget will commit $9.5 million to a range of important initiatives designed to reduce waste and promote more recycling. This includes $4 million to implement the key commitments under our Waste Action Plan, including the delivery of a Tasmanian Container Refund Scheme in 2022.

Delivery of this scheme is an important priority for the Government, providing incentives for the collection of recyclable containers to reduce litter and help us reach our target of being the tidiest State by 2023.

Introduction of the scheme will bring Tasmania in line with other jurisdictions, protecting Tasmania’s environment, providing new opportunities to community groups, local businesses and industry and helping to maintain the Tasmanian brand.

The Government will also progress the introduction of a statewide levy on waste disposed at landfill. The levy will fund future waste minimisation, reuse and recycling initiatives and support co-investment with the resource recovery sector to increase recycling and generate more jobs for Tasmanians.

In the shorter term, as part of the national Recycling Modernisation Fund, the Tasmanian Government will provide up to $5.5 million in grants that will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Australian Government and recycling businesses to invest at least $16.5 million in new commercial recycling opportunities that create long-term sustainable jobs in Tasmania.

To support this, the 2020-21 Budget also includes $10 million to co-invest with the existing waste management sector in Tasmania to build the infrastructure needed to collect and sort recyclable waste.

These initiatives will enable Tasmania’s emerging recycling industry to plan for and invest in critical infrastructure, address key waste streams and to plan for market development in Tasmania.

We are committed to rebuilding a stronger Tasmania. The 2020-21 Budget will provide the confidence our resource recovery sector needs to build a circular economy as part of a reinvigorated Tasmanian economy.