Waste Minimisation Fund 2022 Recipients
Published on 23 November 2022
The inaugural Waste Minimisation Fund grant received eleven applications with eight of these receiving either full or partial funding to support local groups waste minimisation efforts.
Waitaki District Council Waste Minimisation Officer, Lucianne White said, “We’re thrilled with the number of strong applications received with some wonderful ideas to help minimise or divert waste in Waitaki.”
Open from 1 August – 30 August 2022, the fund promoted the Waste Hierarchy with projects closer to the top of the list having a larger impact and therefore more likely to receive funding.
- RETHINK – Stopping waste before it is created
- REDUCE – Reducing the volume of waste created
- REUSE / REPURPOSE / REGIFT / REPAIR / RECHARGE THE SOIL – Composting, worm farming & bokashi
Successful applicants included the Hampden Community Workshop with a project that will provide diversion and minimisation of waste through repair cafe activities as well as long term community and social benefits and behaviour change education.
Recipient Dugald MacTavish said, “When we first arrived in Moeraki over 35 years ago, like everyone else we just dumped all our waste at the old dumps near the sea. We hated it - a visit to the dump felt like we were doing something dirty. Since we have started to treat our waste as a resource in the Waitaki, and our communities have engaged with sharing and recycling, a visit to our recovery park is a much happier experience.”
Weston School was also successful with a Waste Sort Station aiming to divert as much waste going through the school system as possible with the inclusion of an educational angle focusing on rethinking resources used in teaching.
Teacher and successful applicant Erina Simpson is looking forward to growing on the schools already successful paper and food scrap programme, “I applied for the Waste Minimization Grant on behalf of Weston Schools Envirogroup, so that we can develop a school-based sorting and waste minimization centre here at school. This centre will also provide the school with ready access to reusable resources for various learning projects. These developments will also allow us to address the management of our own waste beyond the clean paper recycling and food scrap waste that we currently manage.”
Both projects are looking toward the future with Dugald MacTavish noting, “We know we still have a long way to go, especially in the reduce and upcycle areas, but we are slowly working on it. The construction of a workshop for upcycling will be the next step on the path to one day, becoming a zero-waste community.”
Erina Simpson echoed these sentiments saying, “Through developing this centre, the children will in turn become more informed and active citizens. Not only educating themselves and their peers, but also their families and therefore the wider community in regard to waste minimisation. It’s about knowing what can be recycled and actioning this, right here at school.”
Lucianne White looks forward to the fund’s return in 2023 “The Waste Minimisation Fund will be open again in August 2023 but if you have a waste minimisation or diversion community project in mind, we welcome you to be in touch for advice or guidance anytime. It’s a great idea to begin brainstorming and researching early to ensure your project sits nice and high on the waste hierarchy and has the biggest impact possible.”
Lucianne White
lwhite@waitaki.govt.nz
03 433 0300
website: Waitaki Waste Minimisation Fund | Waitaki District Council
ENDS