Deadline: 31-Aug-23
Apply for the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) grant to support the long-term aspirational goal of Zero Waste by 2040, taking care of people and the environment, and turning waste into resources.
The WMIF has been established to disburse a portion of the funds allocated to Auckland Council from the national waste levy (currently set at $50 per tonne for municipal waste). Half of the total revenue generated from the levy is allocated to territorial authorities on a population basis. This money must be spent on promoting or achieving waste minimisation as set out in local authorities’ Waste Management and Minimisation Plans (WMMPs). The other half, less administration costs, is allocated to waste minimisation initiatives, through the Waste Minimisation Fund, which is run by the Ministry for the Environment.
Purpose of WMIF
- Promote or achieve waste management and minimization.
- Reduce waste to landfill in accordance with the objectives of the WMMP.
- Foster new ideas and encourage community participation in reducing waste to landfill.
Strategic Objectives
- Reducing Auckland’s reliance on landfills.
- Achieving operational efficiencies in domestic waste and recycling services.
- Reducing harm from waste.
- Restricting organic waste going to landfill.
- Developing an infrastructure and processes to maximise resource recovery.
- Reducing council’s responsibility for dealing with end-of-life consumer products and packaging through appropriate advocacy.
- Maximising local economic development opportunities e.g., jobs created by diverting waste from landfill.
- Reducing litter and illegal dumping and related costs.
Priority Waste Streams
- The fund will have focused priority waste streams that will be updated on the grant page every year prior to grant round opening. This will focus applications to align with priority waste streams identified by Ministry for the Environment under the national Waste Minimisation Fund.
Funding In formation
- The scheme will have an annual $500,000 funding pool. If funds are not fully allocated in one year, they will roll over into the following year.
- Sub-categories for funding allocation are:
- Small and simple projects From $1,000 – $5,000
- Medium projects From $5,001 – $25,000
- Large projects Grants over $25,000
- The maximum amount that can be funded is $50,000 per project, but larger projects may be considered on merit at the discretion of the council.
Funding Outcome Areas
- Auckland Council wants to target priority waste streams, reduce harm to the environment and improve efficiency of resource use. The WMIF aims to do this by supporting new initiatives that complement and enhance existing programmes or address gaps or opportunities. Funding is allocated through four outcome areas:
- resource recovery initiatives and facilities
- commercial waste
- organic waste
- community action and behaviour change
What you can apply for?
- Feasibility studies and business cases.
- Infrastructure design and development.
- Materials/equipment and plant.
- Skills development.
- Trials and pilot programmes.
- Education programmes.
- Workshops, neighbourhood meetings, neighbourhood mentoring and social learning.
- Nonitoring and surveys.
- Research and development that is not aimed at supporting the attainment of a qualification.
- Project execution/implementation costs.
Who can apply?
- The fund is open to community groups, businesses, mana whenua, mataawaka, early childhood centres, schools, tertiary organisations and other community-based organisations operating in the Auckland region.
Criteria
- Only waste minimisation projects are eligible for funding. Projects must promote or achieve waste minimisation. Waste minimisation covers the reduction of waste, and the reuse and recycling and the recovery of materials or energy for further use or processing.
- The scope of the fund includes educational projects that promote waste minimisation activity only, but not general environmental education programmes.
- The fund does not cover projects that focus on waste disposal or on the treatment of wastes for disposal/clean ups.
- Projects must result in new waste minimisation activity, either by implementing new initiatives, or a significant expansion in the scope or coverage of existing activities.
- Funding is not for the ongoing financial support of existing activities, nor is it for the running costs of the existing activities of organisations, individuals or firms.
- Projects may be for a discrete funding timeframe of one year, after which the project objectives should have been achieved and, where appropriate, the initiative has become selffunding.
- Funding can be used for operational or capital expenditure that is required to undertake a project.
- The applicant must be a legal entity or fall under an umbrella legal entity.
- The fund will cover up to 50% of the cost of the project. Applicants will need to demonstrate adequate sources of additional funding from their own or other resources, or in kind.
WMIF will not Fund
- Projects that are inconsistent with Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2018.
- Projects that do not involve waste generated from within the Auckland region.
- Retrospective projects where the funding sought is for work already completed.
- Debt servicing.
- Activities which duplicate other demonstration projects or pilot studies.
For more information, visit Auckland Council.