A combined federal and state government funding announcement of $11 million will be designed to fill the hole made by Australia's inability to send waste to China, and offer jobs.
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The announcement was made at Launceston's Waste Centre by Senator Jonno Duniam, Tasmanian Environment and Parks Minister Roger Jaensch and federal Bass MHR Bridget Archer.
Mr Duniam said Tasmania produced 70,000 tonnes of waste in 2018-19 of which only 6 per cent was recycled.
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He said this funding would hope to increase that figure as well as unlock ways for the state to better manage waste and create jobs. "We used to deal with waste as a nation by exporting a lot of it to foreign nations - China in particular - but that's no longer an options for us," he said.
"It's our waste and we've got to deal with it. We should be world leaders when it comes to dealing with our waste."
The $11 million will now be part of an expression of interest process which encourages recycling firms in the state to be part of the recycling problem in Tasmania.
Mr Jaensch said local businesses would then contribute money to the project to develop ways to deal with waste.
"It is all about building a circular economy, not sending out recyclable materials off shore anymore but, in Australia and in Tasmania, doing something else with them," he said.
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"We'll be looking for commercial recycling partners ... to come aboard and show us their good ideas, new investment and job creating businesses."
Mr Jaensch said jobs were key to the project.
"[Jobs] will be a driver of how we assess the proposals that come forward as to maximise the jobs multiplier and economic benefit to come out of something that used to be worth nothing," he said.
Mr Jaensch also foreshadowed a $10 million investment into recycling infrastructure. He said the investment would be aimed at recovering and sorting recycling materials for the industry.
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