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Recycling Modernisation Fund - Plastic Technology Stream

Recycling Modernisation Fund – Plastic Technology Stream

  • Applications are open until: 13 November 2023
  • Grants: between $1 million and $20 million

A funding pool of up to $60 million has been allocated for the Plastic Technology stream, with the possibility of additional funding from certain state or territory governments. A mandatory requirement entails that applicants contribute a minimum of 50% towards the eligible financial costs of the project.

Operated under the auspices of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, the Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) is diligently bridging critical voids within Australia's recycling infrastructure. An infusion of $60 million has been designated for the RMF's Plastics Technology stream, constituting the subsequent stride in the Government's strategic endeavours to grapple with the quandaries of plastic recycling rates and pollution. The focal point of this advancement entails the provision of backing to cutting-edge and inventive technologies that specifically target the complexities associated with recycling obstinate plastics that pose challenges in reprocessing.

Key Requirements

Funding is accessible from 2023-24 till June 30, 2027, for substantial projects. State and territory applicants can seek grants ranging from $1 million to $20 million. Project initiators are liable for remaining eligible expenses and ineligible costs.

Projects must be operational by June 30, 2027.

Funding applications must encompass a minimum 50% contribution from the project initiator, or the consortium members for consortium proposals. While state and territory contributions aren’t mandatory, applications fostering higher contributions from initiators and/or co-contributions from regions receive preference in assessments.

Refer to eligibility criteria below for project initiator details:

  • Alignment with program objectives and outcomes
  • Advancement of Australia’s plastic circular economy or managing plastics where circularity isn’t feasible
  • Adequate capacity, capability, and resources for project execution
  • Mitigation of environmental impacts and enhancing waste material traceability
  • Access to financial resources and investment opportunities

What is eligible for funding?

Applications must adhere to the following eligibility criteria:

  • Correspond to the listed eligible activities, which encompass:
    • Introducing novel infrastructure, technology, processes, machinery, and/or equipment to facilitate the recycling of challenging plastics.
    • Enhancing or expanding current infrastructure, technology, processes, machinery, and/or equipment to accommodate the recycling of challenging plastics.
    • Engaging in commercialisation or upscaling to establish or augment the capacity for recuperating and recycling challenging plastics.
  • Provide evidence of strategies to prevent, alleviate, and manage potential environmental repercussions arising from the project, including carbon emissions.
  • Substantiate the economic viability of the project throughout its operational lifecycle.
  • Demonstrate a minimum 50% financial contribution towards eligible project costs from the project initiator. For consortium proposals, the same applies to consortium members.
  • Possess written confirmation of support from a state or territory.

Eligible activities comprise initiatives that have not yet been initiated and contribute to heightened recovery and recycling rates for challenging plastics. These initiatives align with the objectives of a secure circular plastics economy, encompassing:

  • Pioneering recycling endeavours targeting difficult-to-recycle plastics, such as mixed, multi-layer, flexible, or contaminated variants.
  • The commercialisation or expansion of nascent and experimental technologies aimed at enhancing the circularity of problematic plastics.
  • Enhancements to infrastructure and technology for extracting and processing plastics embedded within products, such as e-waste, to yield higher-value outputs.
  • Schemes to outfit existing or new material recovery facilities or plastic recovery facilities with sorting, separation, and decontamination technology, such as optical or robotic machinery, to elevate plastic diversion from landfills.
  • Proposals advanced by consortia advocating comprehensive solutions and circularity within the plastics supply chain. This could encompass cooperative efforts between waste collection and sorting facilities, advanced recycling units, and manufacturers.

The project may encompass activities across any location within Australia.

What companies are eligible for funding?

Funding applications are exclusively available to state and territory governments, requiring the identification of a designated project proponent. In the case of a consortium, it is mandatory to identify each constituent project proponent.

Eligible project initiators (or, in the context of a consortium, primary project initiators) encompass:

  • An Australian entity or partnership incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
  • An entity or partnership governed by the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.
  • A council, a regional consortium of councils, or any local government-affiliated organisation.
  • An Australian research institution (this encompasses tertiary education institutions, government agencies established for research, cooperative research centres, research institutes or centres, and privately owned and accredited research facilities). Consultancies do not fall under the classification of research institutions.
  • An Aboriginal Land Council.
  • A non-governmental or not-for-profit organisation (must comply with the Australian Taxation Office’s defined criteria) possessing established legal standing, or entities lacking legal status that can have grant funds overseen by another legally recognised organisation.

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis, and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder Relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.