Circular Infrastructure Grants

Circular Infrastructure Grants are available to South Australian businesses and local governments that recover, handle and process recyclable materials with the opportunity to invest in equipment, technology and processes to respond to the prevailing market conditions.

Online information session

An online information session will be held from 10 am on Friday 11 July, to offer support for applicants. To register for the session, contact program manager Justin Lang at justin.lang@sa.gov.au by no later than 10 am, Thursday 10 July.

How much money is available?

• Applications $25,000 to a maximum of $300,000 (excluding GST) per project are invited.  
• Up to $500,000 (excluding GST) may be available for large scale projects of state significance that involve significant capital expenditure.
• Councils seeking more than $300,000 (excluding GST) must demonstrate a financial commitment by at least 3 councils as evidenced through a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding

Who can apply?

South Australian businesses and local governments that reuse, repair, refurbish or remanufacture, recover, handle and process recyclable materials with the opportunity to invest in equipment, technology and processes to respond to the prevailing market conditions. 

What will we fund?

The overall aim of the grant program is to encourage innovation to increase the circularity and/or recovery of materials in South Australia and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill each year. 

To be eligible the project must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Target recovery and recycling of fibre (paper, cardboard, newspaper etc), and/or plastics and/or glass recyclables or organics from municipal kerbside waste collections and/or commercial and industrial sources.
• Improve source separation and processing performance or enhanced resource recovery and recycling through investment and subsequent installation of equipment and technology that reduces contamination and improves the quality and volume of kerbside and/or commercial and industrial recyclable materials, particularly fibre, plastics and glass.
• Demonstrates through market analysis that recycled material will enter a beneficial remanufacture, secondary processing, or recycling market for local use (preferred) or that can be exported at a higher value to a recognised end market.
• Demonstrates waste avoidance and/or landfill diversion through effective reuse, repair, refurbishment or remanufacture of materials / products within South Australia.

What WON’T we fund?

Grant funds will not be available for:

• retrospective projects (to be eligible, projects must start after the applications closing date, 25 July 2025, subject to notification of success through the grant assessment process)
• energy from waste projects
• construction and demolition waste sorting or processing
• landfill (compliance, development, extension or closure)
• operational expenses, including fuel, electricity, maintenance, project monitoring, motor vehicles or trucks (specialised equipment for vehicles may be considered)
• advertising costs
• education and training programs
• salaries, studies, investigations or research and development activities
• building purchase, lease or other general service provision, or projects with a primary focus on construction (without additional elements) 
• land purchase or lease
• machinery leasing – equipment must be purchased outright
• projects that promote low value recovery of resources.

When does it close?