Opportunities abound with Remanufacture NSW

22 January 2021

NSW has rounded off a week of multi-million-dollar funding announcements for our essential waste and resource recovery (WARR) industry, today revealing a new $35 million grant round as part of the federal government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund. 

The federal and state government co-invested funding injection, which will be offered through the newly created Remanufacture NSW, will be allocated through two streams – infrastructure and trials.

“The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) welcomes today’s announcement and is encouraged to see that steps are being taken by NSW to match the funding provided by the federal government,” WMRR CEO, Ms Gayle Sloan, said.

“Of note is the NSW government’s intention to roll out trials that will address waste export ban materials and test new methodologies and technologies that will support an increased use of these materials. It certainly is an exciting time for Australia as we build pathways that will drive recovery, recycling, and remanufacturing to transition us to a more resource-efficient economy.”

With the funding committed, the next step would be to consider how NSW’s regulatory and planning policy landscape can and must support the government’s vision.

“NSW stands the best chance at driving innovation and transitioning to a more circular economy if these plans and funding are supported by a robust regulatory and planning regime that drives market demand to bolster remanufacturing,” Ms Sloan said.

“While funding is great, it is not the be all and end all. The NSW government will now need to urgently consider how it can grow sustainable procurement and support these trials. Now that we’ve determined what the key priority streams are, we’ll need to consider how to build a regulatory and planning framework that will boost the processing, recycling, remanufacturing, and ultimately, the uptake of these materials.

“The NSW government is already looking at how to give manufacturers a competitive advantage in emerging sustainable supply industries through its ongoing efforts in green steel production and renewable energy. We need similar leadership and enthusiasm in our industry which will be necessary to grow our sector, leading to more jobs and growth of local economies.

“WMRR looks forward to working closely with the NSW government as it rolls out Remanufacture NSW and its pipeline of WARR projects in 2021 and beyond,” Ms Sloan said.