Twenty-nine community organisations and businesses are set to receive a total of $609,000 from Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF).
The WMIF supports projects that aim to reduce and minimise the amount of waste going to landfill. Grant applications for the fund were received in August with successful applicants notified in December.
Richard Hills, Chair of the Planning, Environment and Parks Committee, says many applications focused on community action and behaviour change.
“Our heartfelt thanks to all this year’s applicants who are working so hard to change attitudes to waste in communities across Tāmaki Makaurau. I am constantly impressed by the innovative and practical ways that people find to reduce waste, and to reuse and recycle resources that would otherwise go to landfill.”
The diversity and ingenuity of initiatives is demonstrated in the following selection of projects that were successful in securing funding:
-
Ae Ka Taea e Koe is championing waste-free parenting by piloting a kōhanga reo pick up and drop off service for reusable nappies and encouraging whānau in their use.
-
Digital Future Aotearoa is reducing e-waste by refurbishing unwanted devices for individuals and community groups to reuse for education and employment.
-
Auckland Library of Tools and Repair Café Aotearoa are collaborating to set up a permanent, weekly repair café.
-
Nukumea Primary School is setting up a zero-waste programme for students and installing waste separation stations and school composting.
-
Sikh Women’s Association Trust is setting up the Green Warrior initiative to create neighbourhoods that prioritise and participate in sustainability and waste education.
These projects and other successful waste minimisation activities are funded by the waste levy.
The purpose of the WMIF is to support projects that promote or achieve waste minimisation, including educational projects that promote waste minimisation activities or result in new waste minimisation activity, either by implementing new initiatives, or significantly expanding the scope or coverage of existing activities.
A full list of successful applicants and their projects can be found here.
