Buy Circular Service

The Buy Circular Service helps Victorian councils use more circular materials and products in infrastructure, landscaping, parks, and gardens projects.

Buy Circular is an expansion of the successful Buy Recycled Service. It will continue to support councils to procure recycled products and materials, as an important component of circular procurement considerations.

The service will now also focus on encouraging circular economy principles in procurement decisions, and supporting councils to consider:

• reused materials
• materials efficiency
• design for disassembly
• product repair and products as a service.

As the service expands, more circular procurement resources and tools will become available.

One resource available through our service is the Buy Recycled Directory. It lists more than 100 recycled product suppliers who manage their own product and category entries. As part the buying circular focus, suppliers of circular products and solutions will also feature on the directory in future.

Tools and resources

What is circular procurement?

Circular procurement is a purchasing approach that:

• focuses on buying goods and services that support a transition to a circular economy
• creates closed material and energy loops within supply chains.

Circular attributes allow for a more holistic integration of sustainability into your procurement activities, enabling closed material loops, elimination of waste and the regeneration of natural systems.

Some examples include:

• considering the need for the purchase in the first place
• reuse, refurbishment or repair of existing products or materials
• opting for a service or shared model instead of a product
• considering how a product has been designed and whether it can disassembled or reused
• using materials that are recycled, reused, non-toxic and local
• considering life cycle cost or total cost of ownership.

The Recycled First policy

The Recycled First policy is delivered as part of the Victorian Government’s circular economy policy, Recycling Victoria: a new economy.

The Recycled First policy intends to optimise the use of recycled and reused materials within major transport projects, build a better understanding of the types, volumes and location of recycled and reused material use and support innovation. The Recycled First Policy applies to all major transport infrastructure projects.

The Buy Recycled Service was underpinned by the Recycled First policy.

Sustainability Victoria will continue to support the Recycled First policy through its expanded service by:

• supporting councils to align procurement activities with the Recycled First policy
• sharing information and data captured through the major transport projects with councils
• accelerating council adoption of recycled products in infrastructure and landscaping
• encouraging councils to test and try recycled products
• reducing barriers to the procurement of recycled products
• challenging misconceptions of recycled materials and products and promote benefits.

While Recycled First Policy is not mandatory for local government, councils are in a unique position to leverage the learnings and momentum created by the policy and contribute to Victoria’s circular economy by increasing the use of Victorian reused and recycled materials and reducing waste.

Councils have significant buying power and play a critical role in growing markets for circular products and materials, including recycled products. The Buy Circular Service leverages this opportunity and empowers councils to make confident purchasing decisions that support Victoria's circular economy. For there to be a strong circular economy, we need strong markets for circular materials, products and services to support industry and innovation and reduce waste.