Waste Minimisation Fund now open
A fund with the purpose of helping the community plan and deliver projects that reduce waste in Waipā is now open.
Waipā District Council’s Waste Minimisation Community Fund offers $40,000 to individuals, groups and businesses that encourage, promote or organise waste minimisation activities.
One Waipā business grateful to benefit from the fund is Cambridge Grains, which manufactures, imports and supplies animal feed.
Thanks to support from the Waste Minimisation Community Fund, Cambridge Grains purchased a compressor to help recycle polypropylene bags more efficiently.
The businesses has been able to compress 20,000 bags for recycling since it started using the compressor in January this year.
Other previous successful projects include an e-waste collection event, a second-hand school uniform repair and resell initiative and a community composting project.
Waste minimisation officer Sally Fraser said Council is looking for projects with an emphasis on innovative solutions for eliminating or reducing waste in the Waipā district.
“We encourage businesses, groups and individuals to apply to this fund with their creative ideas that focus on rethinking, reducing or reusing waste. The overall aim is having less rubbish going to landfill.”
“Reducing or eliminating waste altogether are the first steps to decreasing waste, before we think about recycling and recovering.”
Two drop-in sessions will be held in Te Awamutu and Cambridge for interested applicants seeking advice on their projects.
The sessions are at the Te Awamutu Library Community Room, 10am-12pm on Wednesday 12 August and Council’s reception meeting room, 23 Wilson Street Cambridge, 1pm-3pm on Thursday 13 August.
“If you’ve got a got a great idea for reducing waste in your community, come along to a drop-in session to chat about your project further and strengthen your application.”
“In Waipā, we’re lucky to have really proactive people with great waste minimisation ideas. We’re keen to see what new and innovative ideas are out there that can be supported.”
Applications can be downloaded from www.waipadc.govt.nz/wastefund or collected from Council offices in Cambridge or Te Awamutu.
Applications close at 5pm, Monday 14 September, with funding recipients selected after this date.