The McGowan Government has invested $1 million in nine initiatives which when fully implemented, will divert approximately 1,000 tonnes of e-waste annually from landfill in Western Australia.
Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly and Environment Minister Stephen Dawson today announced the recipients of the WasteSorted e-Waste grants program which is funded from the New Industries Fund.
Combined funding of $600,000 was allocated to Curtin University, CSIRO and Epichem for research and development programs that will support new and innovative solutions to process collected e-waste and reduce the amount of e-waste ending up in landfill.
A further $400,000 of combined funding was allocated to Total Green Recycling, Marlpa Waste Logistics, Shire of East Pilbara, City of Rockingham, Western Australian Local Government Association, and the City of Bunbury to enable an increase in the volume and range of e-waste collected for recycling.
The WasteSorted e-Waste grants support the WA Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 objectives - to avoid waste, recover more value and resources from waste, and protect the environment from the impacts of waste.
The $16.7 million New Industries Fund was established to support and accelerate new and emerging businesses to diversify the Western Australian economy and create new WA jobs.
For more information about the grants, please visit the Waste Authority website:
https://www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/programs/view/wsg-e-waste-202021
As stated by Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly:
"The McGowan Government continues to demonstrate that we can establish a greener future and grow the economy at the same time.
"The nine initiatives funded through the WasteSorted e-Waste Grants will not only divert hundreds of tonnes of recyclable waste from ending up in land fill, but will also create jobs for Western Australians.
"I would like to congratulate all nine initiatives funded through this program, and thank them for their work in creating a cleaner future for us all.
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The McGowan Government is committed to tackling waste issues and we have already made fantastic progress with a ban on lightweight single-use plastic bags and the container deposit scheme.
"Tackling e-waste - which is one of the fastest growing waste streams - is a challenge for governments globally and so we're proud to see Western Australian businesses, local governments and authorities rise to the challenge.
"This initiative saw over 50 applicants, indicating the growing interest in WA's recycling industry which will continue to expand in years to come.
"The selected projects will support the recovery of high value material, while diverting materials which may have presented risks to human health and the environment if not disposed of appropriately."
Innovation and ICT Minister's office - 6552 6100
Stream 1 - Innovative Processes
| Company Name | Title of Project | Brief | Funding provided |
| Curtin University | Mini plant recycling and metal recovery from waste printed circuit boards and integrated circuits |
The project aims to develop a scalable process to recover valuable precious and base metals and remove toxic metals from e-waste using a safe and benign leaching system. | $200,000 |
| CSIRO | Metal recovery from e-waste through innovative biotechnology | The project aims to develop innovative bioprocesses for extracting precious and base metals from e-waste through a laboratory-scale prototype. | $200,000 |
| Epichem | Oxidative Hydrothermal Dissolution of E-Waste: Conversion to Useful End Products and Recovering Valuable and Critical Metals | The project will test the use of oxidative hydrothermal dissolution (OHD) to breakdown e-waste to produce a range of useful and high value chemicals. | $200,000 |
| TOTAL | $600,000 |
Stream 2 - Collection
| Company Name | Title of Project | Brief | Funding provided |
| Total Green Recycling Pty Ltd | Mobile Re-use and Data Destruction Centre | The pilot project aims to develop a mobile containerised solution offering data destruction and re-use options for WA's unwanted IT that will be available for use at collection events. | $80,000 |
| Karratha Skip Bin Hire Pty Ltd trading as Marlpa Waste Logistics | Marlpa e-waste collection | Marlpa Waste Logistics will provide a sustainable e-waste collection system for the Marlpa (Pilbara) region. | $80,000 |
| Shire of East Pilbara | East Pilbara E-waste Collection and Recycling | The project will provide a permanent e-waste recycling station in the regional towns of Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine. | $40,000 |
| City of Rockingham | E-waste recycling and reuse program (ERRP) - Millar Road Landfill Facility (MRLF) | The project is proposing to implement an e-waste collection and recycling program at the Millar Road Landfill Facility (MRLF). | $80,000 |
| Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) | Electronic Waste Drop off days - Non Metropolitan Region | This project is proposing at least eight e-waste drop off day events to be hosted across the non-metro region. | $80,000 |
| City of Bunbury | Permanent Drop Off Location Upgrade - E-Waste | This project proposes to add a permanent, all-encompassing e-waste drop off location to its upgraded Bunbury - McCombe Road Waste Recycling Centre. | $40,000 |
| TOTAL | $400,000 |
