The Environmental Investment Centre offers support to companies developing waste recycling solutions. The aim is to increase recycling capacity and promote the creation of digital tools for waste data management.

Eligible applicants are businesses engaged in waste recycling. The support amount ranges from €10,000 to €3 million depending on the activity, and the support rate can be up to 47.93% of the total project cost, depending on state aid rules.

Support can be used for the following purposes:

• preparing waste for recycling, such as sorting
• recycling separately collected waste
• developing digital solutions for managing and reporting waste data

The total budget for the measure is €14 million, of which at least €5.6 million is earmarked for projects outside the Tallinn and Tartu regions. Applications are open until May 24, 2025.

Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis stated that although a waste reform bill is being prepared, legislation is only half of what is needed for developing a circular economy. Companies must become more interested in using existing materials to produce new goods, reducing the need for incineration, landfilling, and mining new raw materials.

Project coordinator Sirli Vaksmann emphasized the importance of using already available materials to create new products in the shift toward a circular economy. The goal of the support is to help businesses redirect as many materials as possible from landfills back into use.

Applications must be submitted through the e-support environment. Further details can be found on the website of the Environmental Investment Centre.