New Zealand has had a nation-wide levy on waste disposed at a NZ landfill, which expanded to construction and demolition waste in 2022 and double to $60 a tonne this year. So some serious money is rolling in, about $1.2 billion, some $598 million of which will be allocated to local governments.
Both Hastings and Napier Councils have programmes to fund community waste minimisation projects out of their shares of the national levy.
Hastings
The Hastings programme is furthest along, with applications now being accepted. The total funding pool is $150,000.
Per HDC’s announcement: “The general fund is open for people or groups who are involved in local waste minimisation projects and initiatives with aims and outcomes that benefit the Hastings community – and large and small grants are available.”
Small grants up to $10,000 are considered each month from February to November.
Large grants between $10,000 and $50,000 are open for applications twice a year.
Schools have two options:
The School Waste Systems Fund offers one-off grants for purchasing recycling or compost bins up to the value of $4000 depending on the size of the school.
The School Recycling Servicing Fund contributes to schools’ recycling bin servicing costs. This has up to $3000 a year available per school, depending on the school size.
Applications for the large grants and both school funds close on October 14, 2024.
More details here: https://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/hastings/grants/waste-minimisation-fund/
Napier
NCC also receives funding from the national levy, but is slower off the mark getting its programme up and running.
Says a NCC spokesperson: “Yes we do have one set up and it has been approved, but we’re still working through how to administer it, so by the end of the year it’ll be up and running.”
So stay tuned!
The image in this article appears to show a truck dumping unwanted canned product probably from one of the canning factories. This is a classic example of poor recycling onsite at the factory, all of this type of waste could be diverted from landfill. The can is scrap metal and the contents is compostable. This is the sort of dumping that needs to looked at as soon as possible and changes implemented at the council and the factories.