The Tipping Point

WLRM Organics Collection grants now open

MRA Consulting Group

Planting a little tree in soil.

By Adi Prasad, MRA Consulting Group

The NSW EPA has opened round 6 of its Organics Collection grants under the $105.5M Organics Infrastructure Fund of the NSW Government Waste Less Recycle More initiative (WLRM).

The new grants provide funding to support new or enhanced household kerbside collection services for garden, food or combined food and garden organic waste. A business stream has now been added to the Organics Collections grants program to encourage and support new collections services to transport source separated organics waste from businesses to organics resource recovery processing facilities.

Table 1: WLRM Organics Collection grant summary

Stream Applicant type Project requirements Funding per applicant Closing date
Business Waste and recycling collection providers, large businesses with multiple premises in a small geographic area, property owners/ managers in charge of waste services to commercial or commercial/ residential premises

AND all those Eligible for the Household Stream, mentioned below.

 Projects are to introduce new organics collection service(s) to businesses or expand on existing organics collection services to businesses.

Food waste must be currently landfilled.

Source separated C&I organic waste to be processed at a licensed treatment to be converted to a higher quality resource (e.g. compost or electricity).

 $10,000 to $500,000, up to 50% of eligible items

What will be funded?

  • Expert advice to assist council’s household collection contract to include businesses.
  • Weighing devices on collections trucks.
  • Up to 10% of collection costs (min. 2y commitment for collections).
  • Up to 50% for infrastructure (min. 5y commitment for collections).
  • Project planning, system design.

What will not be funded?

  • Projects that have received funding from other grants.
  • Projects where processed organics do not meet resource recovery exemptions/orders.
  • Liquid food injection projects.
  • Processing costs, operational costs, retrospective funding.
  • Replacement/repair of bins, trucks.
  • Leased equipment.
  • Projects that would reasonably be expected to proceed without funding.
 June 28, 2018 at 3pm
Household All NSW Councils, Regional Waste Groups, Regional Organisations of Councils, Joint Organisations of Councils Projects are to introduce a new kerbside organics collection service, expand/enhance an existing service (e.g. GO to FOGO), expand kerbside organics collection services to include MUDs or trial organics collection services in MUDs (minimum 8 months) Up to $1.3M

What will be funded?

  • Up to $100,000 for communication/education
  • Up to $40/MGB
  • Up to $10/caddy
  • Up to $20,000 for audits
  • Up to 40,000 for monitoring and contamination (MUDs)
  • Up to $5,000 for signage
  • Up to $20,000/building for pre-processing equipment (Max. $100,000)
  • Up to $85,000 for MUD trials in the MLA

What will not be funded?

  • Projects where processed organics do not meet resource recovery exemptions/orders
  • Organics collection and processing costs (except for MUD trials in the MLA)
  • Liquid food injection projects
  • Processing costs, operational costs, retrospective funding
  • Replacement/repair of bins, trucks
  • Leased equipment
  • Projects that would reasonably be expected to proceed without funding
 June 28, 2018 at 3pm

MRA has submitted more than 140 WLRM grant applications to date, winning more than $40m in funding for our clients.

If your organisation is interested in any of the above grant programs, please contact us at info@mraconsulting.com.au or on (02) 8541 6169.

MRA can provide a one-stop shop to maximise your chances of success.