Supporting a cleaner city

The City of Melbourne is offering grants for creative waste management solutions.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said grants of up to $5000 for community groups, schools and not-for-profits, as well as $25,000 for startups and universities – including students and researchers - are up for grabs.

“We’re looking for projects that could help reduce food waste, prevent litter, or deliver local solutions to household waste,” she said.

The call for solutions comes amid a statewide recycling crisis following the collapse of embattled recycler SKM.

The Lord Mayor said the City of Melbourne had recently reached a temporary agreement to resume processing of household recycling while restructuring company KordaMentha sought to finalise the sale of SKM.

“We urge the community to continue separating their waste and recycling,” she said.

“It’s vital that general waste not be mixed in with recycling to ensure recycling services are sustainable and viable.”

Recently, there have been a number of innovative ideas to tackle waste in Melbourne that could provide inspiration.

The City of Melbourne is working with the popular carshare company GoGet to help members of the service get free-of-charge access to vans to transport their recycling to the nearing processing facility (see story on page 14).

Recycling company Close the Loop has also been turning environmentally destructive plastic bags into a road that’s more durable and long-lasting than regular roads in the city’s north.

Chair of the City of Melbourne’s environment portfolio Cathy Oke said the fund was just one way the council was working towards creating a circular economy where “everything has value” and “nothing is wasted.”

“Residents and businesses are overwhelmingly telling us they want to reduce their environmental impact and we want to respond to their goodwill,” she said.

Applications are open now and close Wednesday, October 16.

For more information and to apply visit melbourne.vic.gov.au/wastegrants