The City of Ballarat is calling for federal investment in its "shovel-ready" recycling infrastructure projects, following the release of more money to improve Australia's waste recovery industry.
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Council has been pushing for the All Waste Interchange, where waste and recyclables will be sorted from across the district at the Ballarat West Employment Zone, for years.
In a media release, mayor Ben Taylor said the $50 million project, which would include a material recovery facility, should be "at the top of the list" for the federal government.
"We have committed $5 million toward the projects - which can be delivered separately - and are seeking the balance of the funds from the Australian and Victorian Governments," he said.
"The AWI and MRF will help divert an estimated 30,000 tonnes of waste per year from the current 60,000 tonnes received at the Ballarat Regional Landfill, and process 30,000 tonnes per year of kerbside recyclables from the eastern portion of the Grampians Central West region."
It would also create 260 jobs during construction and 60 ongoing jobs, he added.
This week, the federal government announced a $190 million commitment for a new Recycling Modernisation Fund to generate investment and strengthen markets for recyclable materials.
The fund will support innovative investment in new infrastructure to sort, process and remanufacture materials such as mixed plastic, paper, tyres and glass, with Commonwealth funding contingent on co-funding from industry, states and territories, according to a media release.
Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson said in a statement the funding was a good opportunity to look at recycling as an individual and as a community.
"People want to be confident that the waste they place in their kerbside recycling bins is being recycled and re-manufactured into items like roads, carpets, furniture and building materials," she said.
This week's announcement follows the state government's $300 million Recycling Victoria strategy from earlier this year, which included scoping work for a container deposit scheme and a fourth household bin.
In a statement, Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the funding would help the state transition to a circular economy, which would create "thousands of jobs".
"Our $28 million Recycling Victoria Infrastructure Fund is supporting new projects that improve the way Victoria's waste is sorted and recovered for reuse, helping to meet our ambitious waste reduction targets," she said.
A portion of the federal government's funding will be used to supplement the Victorian Government's significant investment in the Recycling Victoria Infrastructure Fund.
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