Waste-Not Fund

Purpose of the Scheme

The purpose of the Waste-Not Fund is provide support and seek funding for approved community based waste minimisation projects.

Funding Available

The Waste-Not fund is generated from the collection of a 5c surcharge on approved Waitakere City refuse bags.   This is anticipated to be in the order of $100,000 per year.  The funding is contestable with the final allocation resting solely at Waitakere City Council's discretion (there is no appeals process).

Generally there is a maximum of $10,000 per project application, however larger funding amounts will be considered on merit.

Funding will only be distributed to projects that meet that Waste-Not funding conditions and criteria, if the applications received do not satisfy the conditions and criteria then funds will not be distributed.

Who can apply?

The fund is open to all individuals and organisations.  This includes individuals, community groups, schools, businesses, pre-schools/kindergartens, tertiary institutions, charities and trusts.

Funding conditions

The following conditions are required to be met in order for applications to be eligible for the Waste-Not Fund;

• Projects must seek to minimise solid waste to landfill.
• Projects must be consistent with Council's goals and objectives around solid waste management.
• Project must benefit or occur in Waitakere City, however the individual or organisation applying does not need to be based in Waitakere City.
• Projects must start within 6 months of receiving funding and be completed within 12 months.  If you received Waste-Not funding in the round immediately prior a preliminary partial report from that project must be submitted with this application.

Funding Assessment Criteria

The following criteria will be used to assess applications to the Waste-Not fund:

1. Waste Minimisation   40% weighting
   Projects must seek to minimise solid waste to landfill in Waitakere City.  Projects that can quantify results that will divert higher volumes of waste from landfills will be assessed more favourably.
2. Community Awareness and Participation  15% weighting
   Projects that heighten community knowledge, promote active involvement in waste minimisation and encourage behaviour change.  Projects which not only involve the community but are run by the community will be assessed more favourably.
3. Innovation  10% weighting
   Projects that develop or provide an entirely new product, technology or service to an area, community or business sector that did not previously exist.
4. Sustainability  20% weighting
   Projects that are transferable, replicable, cost-effective, self-sustaining and likely to succeed.
5. Strategic Alignment  15% weighting
   Projects that are consistent with Council's solid waste management plan.

It is acknowledged that some applications may be particularly strong in one of these criteria but  may not meet the other criteria e.g. a project with high potential for waste minimisation that may not involve community awareness and participation.  A minimum scoring system across the four criteria allows for situations such as these.  Applications that do not meet the minimum score will not be allocated funding.

What can the Fund be used for?

The following list provides examples of acceptable activities;

• Cost of materials, equipment or displays
• Operational expenses (not applicable to businesses)
• Training costs e.g upskilling tutors for seminars/courses on waste minimisation (excludes travel and accommodation costs)
• Monitoring and surveys
• Research and development

Examples of the types of projects that may be funded;

Businesses

• Setting up a new collection service for reuse/recycling of a material
• Set-up funding for a recycled products business
• Process/equipment changes for significant waste reduction

Community Awareness and Participation

• Education initiatives
• Workshops
• Recycling initiatives
• Demonstrations and displays
• Waste Minimisation promotions, events or festivals

Schools

• Setting up recycling systems in a school

Applied Research

• Research on waste minimisation in Waitakere City.  Research would need to be practically relevant to Waitakere City e.g. diverting currently landfilled materials, novel processing methods for problem waste streams or product stewardship initiatives.
• Research into waste behaviour change using a community based social marketing approach.

What will not be funded

• Projects that are inconsistent with Waitakere City Council's objectives
• Projects that are legal responsibility of other agencies
• Ongoing programmes
• Projects funded under other Waitakere City Council programmes
• Projects that are the existing core activity of a business
• Worm farms for schools - as these are already available (Contact Solid Waste)
• Waste Minimisation/Recycling at Events (Contact Cleaner Production)
• Conferences and course attendance
• Retrospective projects
• Debt servicing

Who will assess applications?

Preliminary assessment of applications will be carried out by;

• Strategic Partnerships Advisor: Environmental
• Solid Waste Engineer
• Project Manager: Cleaner Production

Recommendations from this assessment panel will be forwarded and considered by the Waste-Not Assessment panel which consists of 3 councillors from the Finance and Operational Performance Committee who will determine the final allocation.

How to Apply

Application forms are available by contacting us, or can be downloaded here.

Application Form

Application Form for Waste-Not Fund (Size 488K)

Application closing date

Applications close at on 1 May 2008.   There will be no appeal process.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing with the reason(s) why their application was unsuccessful.

What to do, if successful in gaining funding

Successful applications will be notified in writing and provided an invoice checklist and agreement slip to be completed and returned to Council so that the funding may be received.

Conditions of Acceptance

• All money must be returned if the project is not started.
• If the project is not completed then, all money not spent from the date the project is stopped must be returned.
• If the project is completed under budget the remainder of the money must be returned.
• All grants need to be drawn by you prior to the completion of the project. Any funds not drawn by this time can not be allocated to you.
• A Certificate of Expenditure and a Project Report form must be completed and signed with all receipts accounting for the full amount of the grant.  The certificate must be provided to Waitakere City Council within 2 months fo the completion of the project, or at the latest within 12 months of receiving the grant.  Failure to do this will require the funding to be returned and future funding will not be granted.  Note that if applying for funding in the year immediately following, a preliminary partial report is required to be submitted with the new application.
• All recipients of the Waste-Not fund are required to acknowledge the 'Waitakere City Council Waste-Not Fund' on any promotional material for the duration of the project.  A logo will be provided on request.
• Waitakere City Council cannot commit to ongoing financial support, and the award of a grant does not entitle the recipient to any future grants.
• Funding decisions made by Waitakere City Council are final, with no rights of appeal of review.

2008 Waste-Not Fund Allocations

Congratulations to the following individuals and organisations that have received grants from the 2008 Waste-Not Fund.