Innovative sustainability projects and businesses have been awarded $400,000-worth of grants by the City of Sydney.

A project using separation technology to break down fibres in unwanted clothing and linen for re-use has received a $45,00 grant, while an online platform that removes barriers to recycling by managing the entire waste process has been awarded $50,000. A project to care for green walls through robotics has also been awarded $20,000 to develop a ‘wall-bot’ prototype to seed, weed and maintain green walls.

‘Wall-bot’

A ‘wall-bot’ pilot will be held at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) as a way to help overcome the major challenges facing green walls.

“The key challenges we face with adoption of green walls are maintenance costs and health and safety issues. Working with experts in architecture and mechatronics engineering, we believe the wall-bot can overcome these,” says professor Sara Wilkinson, who is working on the project with associate professor Tim Schork.

BlockTexx

The mission of BlockTexx is to divert textiles and clothing away from landfill, instead breaking down the original fibres for re-use.

“This support enables us to demonstrate our world-first fabric separation technology,” says Graham Ross, co-founder of BlockTexx.

“This innovation grant will allow us to recover up to 98 percent of raw materials from The Star Sydney staff uniforms during the project and use them to manufacture community projects.”

EcoActiv

The EcoActiv online platform manages and tracks e-waste and other waste streams.

“When electronic devices are upgraded, old equipment that is not correctly recycled pollutes the environment and can release hazardous substances into soil and groundwater,” says Helen Jarman, founder and CEO of Infoactiv.

“We work with global partners such as Apple to give consumers and businesses a comprehensive platform that directs e-waste to its optimal recycling outcome. This is an important first phase of enabling Circular Economy in NSW.”

Green buildings

Green buildings are also a focus of the environmental grants, with a $32,000 grant being awarded to help George Street buildings The Strand Arcade, the Queen Victoria Building and The Galeries to undergo energy audits.

 

Click here for more information on the environmental grants program.