The Waste Minimisation Fund was established to fund projects that promote or achieve waste minimisation.
Section 38 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 provides that the Minister for the Environment may set or vary criteria for approving funding of a project.
Pursuant to section 38 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008, I, The Honourable Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, set the following criteria for approving funding of projects from the Waste Minimisation Fund.
I have obtained and considered the advice of the Waste Advisory Board prior to setting these criteria.
Criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund
Purpose of the Fund
The purpose of the Waste Minimisation Fund is to boost New Zealand’s performance in waste minimisation.
There is considerable scope to reduce waste and increase the recovery of useful resources from waste.
Lifting our performance in recovering economic value from waste also provides environmental, social and cultural benefits and reduces the risks of harm from waste.
This will require investment in infrastructure and systems for waste minimisation and developing educational and promotional capacity.
The purpose of the fund is to provide some of the funding to ensure that this occurs.
Criteria
Eligibility – Waste Minimisation Projects
1. 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, recycling and recovery of waste and diverted material. The scope of the fund includes educational projects that promote waste minimisation activity.
2. 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.
3. 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, councils or firms.
4. Projects should be for a discrete timeframe of up to
three years, after which the project objectives will have been achieved and, where appropriate, the initiative will become self-funding.
5. Funding can be for operational or capital expenditure required to undertake a project.
6. For projects where alternative, more suitable, Government funding streams are available (such as the Sustainable Management Fund, the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund, or research funding from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology), applicants should apply to these funding sources before applying to the Waste Minimisation Fund.
7. The applicant must be a legal entity.
8. The fund will not cover the entire cost of the project. Applicants will need part funding from other sources.
9. The minimum grant for feasibility studies will be $10,000.00. The minimum grant for other projects
will be $50,000.00.
Assessment Criteria
Project Benefits
1. Preference will be given to projects that collectively give the largest net benefit over time. The assessment of the effectiveness of projects will include the extent to which the projects can demonstrate:
? likelihood of success;
? reduction of harm to the environment;
? reduction in the volume of waste disposed of;
? economic, environmental, social or cultural benefits;
? longer term benefits after the completion of the project.
2. Projects will be assessed for their strategic value in achieving the purpose of the fund. Strategic value means the likely ability of projects to act as catalysts that enhance and extend the uptake of waste minimisation.
3. The degree of partnership and cross-sectoral collaboration will be taken into account in assessing the strategic value of proposals.
4. The level of funding from other sources will be taken into account. Shared funding is preferred.
Project Delivery
5. The applicant must demonstrate:
? ability to deliver the project;
? how the project will achieve its goals;
? how the effectiveness of the project will be monitored, evaluated and reported;
? if and how the project will be used to promote waste minimisation to the wider public;
? if and how the project will continue after funding ends and become self sustaining, particularly if the funding is for the establishment phase of a longer term project.
Dated at Wellington this 1st day of October 2009.
HON DR NICK SMITH, Minister for the Environment.