Deadline for environment cash looming
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ASHARE of £115,000 is up for grabs to help make the region a cleaner and greener place.
The funding has been made available for Halton and Merseyside community and voluntary groups, schools, faith groups and not-forprofit organisations, which can reduce household waste, encourage recycling and resource re-use and prevent carbon emissions.
The projects will also have to demonstrate wider positive impacts on the environment, health and education.
The money is coming from the Merseyside Recycling And Waste Authority and Veolia Community Fund 2019-20, which has been running annually since 2006.
Successful applicants can be awarded up to £25,000 for schemes which operate across all six districts in Halton and Merseyside, and £8,000 for projects which work solely at one local authority level.
The impact of the 2017-18 fund saw 12 projects deliver 28 full-time equivalent jobs (created or safeguarded), participation by 486 volunteers, 29,435 people directly engaged, 1,222 tonnes of waste material diverted from landfill and a 1,181 tonnes reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.
Previous community fund projects have included: ● Creating a sensory learning garden from re-used materials at a college in St Helens. ● The development of a shop in Wirral to sell used clothes and develop sewing and textiles re-use skills. ● The repair and re-use of unused furniture for redistribution to the local community in Halton. ● Bicycle repair and maintenance workshops in Knowsley. ● Using cookery clubs across Merseyside and Halton to improve people’s diet, to reduce food waste and make financial savings. ● Improving online retail skills for a charity shop in Sefton.
Bids must tackle one or more of the four priority household waste materials which have been identified by MRWA as key, namely food, plastics, textiles and furniture.
An analysis of waste in Merseyside and Halton highlighted that a greater amount of these materials could be re-used or recycled.
Projects can also include other household waste materials, for example paper, card and metals.
The Liverpool-based Granby Toxteth Development Trust (GTDT) is one organisation to have benefited from the community fund.
The project has used the funding to engage residents around Lodge Lane with waste reduction and recycling messages.
Dr Lindsey Guy, chief executive of GTDT, said: “We have been delivering recycling and waste management projects for several years around the Granby Toxteth area, and recently more further afield.
“Funding from MRWA and GTDT’s own Big Lottery funding – L8 Living Sustainably – has enabled us to develop a transferable model which works successfully with many different communities and groups.
“For 2017-18 we continued to work with these, and new, communities as well as working with MRWA to develop our models of good practice within communities to create packages of support which promote good re-use and recycling practices and help to change people’s behaviour.”
Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling And Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Tony Concepcion, said: “We’ve made this money available for new and existing projects which can have an impact on their local community and make Merseyside and Halton a cleaner and greener place for us all to live and work.
“Giving groups the opportunity to get involved in looking after their environment can only bring benefits to all and can help us appreciate items as valuable resources rather than something which otherwise might be just thrown away.”
Interested groups should complete and submit a Stage One form with MRWA.
If applicants are shortlisted then they will be asked to fill in a more detailed Stage Two entry.
Successful projects will receive the funding in April 2019 and will have 12 months to deliver their schemes.
Organisations interested in this year’s Community Fund can:
Download the Stage One application form and Guidance at www. merseysidewda.gov.uk.
Contact the Authority by Email: communityfund2019/ 2020@ merseysidewda.gov.uk or telephone 0151 255 1444
Deadline for submission of Stage One application: Friday, January 4.