Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, today visited Smart Recycling in Dandenong South to turn the first sod on a new Commercial and Industrial Waste Sortation Facility.

The new $3.1 million facility is supported by the Andrews Labor Government who provided a $500,000 grant for the project through the Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund.

The Labor Government has provided $4.8 million in funding for 20 recycling projects as part of the third round of the Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund, to support the development of infrastructure across Victoria’s recycling sector.

The projects, worth more than $35 million, are expected to create 155 jobs across Victoria and divert more than 350,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

A further $1.5 million in funding will also be provided to 10 research organisations to explore new uses for recycled materials and to work with businesses or government to maximise their use.

The Research, Development & Demonstration Program Grants will provide grants of $50,000 to $200,000 to each of the 10 research projects.

The program will work with the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Swinburne University and the Australian Road Research Board, in collaboration with several major Victorian businesses to increase procurement of large volumes of recycled materials in to the commercial market.

The Labor Government has awarded a total of $15.1 million to support 47 projects under the three rounds of the Resource Recovery Infrastructure Fund.

The Research, Development & Demonstration grants are part of the Labor Government’s broader $4.5 million Market Development program which helps to develop new, strong domestic markets for Victoria’s recovered resources.

For more information, visit: sustainability.vic.gov.au