Inquiry into Co-Funding and Project Breakdown under the Recycling Modernisation Fund

Senator Ross Cadell inquired about the co-funding amounts and project breakdown under the Recycling Modernisation Fund, with Cathryn Geiger providing testimony on the committed projects and funding by states and territories. The discussion highlighted the need for a detailed breakdown of the funding and projects, with Senator Cadell seeking information on the co-funding amounts, the matching funds from the RMF, and the number of projects by states and territories. Cathryn Geiger stated that $230 million has been committed to projects, with the bulk of this funding going through states and territories. She also provided the total contributions, including $200 million from the Australian government, $175 million from states and territories, and $638 million from third-party investments. Senator Cadell requested a detailed breakdown by states and territories, including the number of projects, and Cathryn Geiger agreed to provide this information on notice. The conversation also clarified that the $200 million from the Australian government refers to allocated funds, with $230 million committed to specific projects, addressing Senator Cadell's question about the distinction between committed and spent funds. Furthermore, it was revealed that 42 projects have been announced and are proceeding under the Recycling Modernisation Fund, with more projects yet to be announced. The conversation then shifted to the topic of landfill reduction, with Senator Cadell expressing concern about the limited impact of circularity and product stewardship on reducing landfill, citing numbers that suggest only 1 to 2% reduction. Heinz Schandl from the CSIRO provided additional context, clarifying that the discussion was about the circularity rate, not the recycling rate, and estimated that diverting all landfill waste back into the economy could increase circularity by around 12%. The senator also inquired about the total number of landfills in Australia and the volume of waste sent to landfills, with Cathryn Geiger providing statistics from the National Waste and Resource Recovery reporting, which showed a total volume of 22 million tonnes of waste sent to landfills in the 2022-2023 financial year, down from 23.3 million tonnes in the prior year. Additionally, Senator Cadell inquired about methane emissions from landfills, asking if the department monitors this data from all landfills or just large ones, and whether all landfills report emissions. Cathryn Geiger stated that methane is reported separately and agreed to take these questions on notice, including the method for collecting emissions data and the number of sites from which statistics are collected. Moreover, Senator Cadell asked about landfills that have projects to capture methane, which Cathryn Geiger agreed to take on notice as well.