The ACT Government is providing a blueprint to create new jobs and foster innovative sustainable businesses by delivering Canberra’s first Circular Economy Strategy and action plan.

“Our new circular economy strategy acknowledges the economic and environmental benefits of supporting business models that reduce waste, while encouraging innovative solutions to product development and investment,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.

“This is about making sure we give businesses the tools they need to support more sustainable jobs, create stronger supply chains that design out waste, and make the most of the materials they use.

“The principles outlined in the strategy and action plans work to achieve this goal across a broad range of industries, from technology and hardware, right through to food waste and building products.

“It also supports unlocking diverse types of land so we’ve got the space for businesses who might need to undertake processing of materials that support resource recovery or to help design waste out of our systems in the first place.”

The strategy identifies six areas of the economy to drive initial efforts:

1. Food and garden organics
2. The built environment
3. Emerging and problematic waste streams
4. Consumer goods
5. A circular economy innovation precinct
6. Procurement, skills and governance

Steel said the strategy is backed in by a series of individual action plans, which outlines specific objectives of governments, industry, business, and community.

“The ACT Government has already started to build up a series of major reforms to improve resource recovery outcomes for our region. This includes the bulky waste pickup service, building a new Materials Recycling Facility, a food organics collection service pilot and the ACT container deposit scheme,” said Steel.

The launch of the ACT’s first Circular Economy Strategy will be accompanied by the introduction of Circular Economy legislation, a key action out of this strategy.

The new Bill will provide a legislative framework for the delivery of initiatives outlined in the Circular Economy Strategy.

The development of Circular Economy Legislation is a Parliamentary Agreement item.

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