‘Getting ideas off the ground’: Council invites applicants to waste minimisation fund

Plastic waste for recycling at Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre. Photo / NZME

Applications are now open for the Whanganui District Council’s annual Waste Minimisation Fund.

It aims to support any local projects that reduce waste or increase reuse, repair and recycling.

The funding round of $60,000 is open from now until May 27, with another round later this year.

Community-led and public-good projects can apply for up to 60% of the project cost, while commercial applicants can apply for up to 40%.

Council waste services manager Morgan Harrison said the fund played an important role in supporting practical, locally-led waste solutions.

“We know there are plenty of great ideas within our community on how to tackle waste,” Harrison said.

“This fund helps remove some of the barriers to getting those ideas off the ground.”

Previous rounds have supported food waste recovery efforts, construction waste recycling, and sustainable arts initiatives, the council said.

Aramoho business Five Star was a recent recipient of $5000 to trial an initiative recovering materials from unwanted electronics.

This led to a new contract, salvaging materials from the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre.

The Waste Minimisation Fund is funded via the national Waste Disposal Levy, collected from landfill fees and distributed to councils to support waste reduction initiatives.

Noam Mānuka Lazarus (Ngāti Whatua o Kaipara) is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.