A share of £165,000 is up for grabs to help make the Liverpool City region a cleaner and greener place. The funding has been made available for community and voluntary groups, schools and not-for-profit organisations, who 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 2020/21, which has been running annually since 2006.
Successful applicants can be awarded up to £30,000 for schemes which operate across all six districts in Merseyside and Halton, and between £1000 and £8,000 for projects which work solely at one local authority level.
Chairperson of Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA), Councillor Tony Concepcion, said: “We know that there are a lot of communities concerned about climate change and sustainable living. 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.
“We’ve seen that previous projects have continued to deliver benefits beyond the first year, through their legacy and ongoing impact on behavioural change, and in many cases through new or continuing activities. We’re excited to see what projects come in.”
The impact of the 2018/19 Fund saw 12 projects divert 673 tonnes of material from disposal, 26,643 people directly engaged, participation by 50,533 volunteers, and a 1419 tonne reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions.
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 the region 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, metals.
Previous Community Fund projects have included local recycling guidebooks, cookery clubs to improve people’s diet and reduce food waste, restoring old furniture to sell for charity and refurbishing unwanted rugs for resale.
One organisation to benefit from the Community Fund is Kirkby-based charity Centre 63 who last year received £8000 for the ‘Remake Yourself Hub’. This project received donations of unwanted furniture from the local community which was then refurbished and donated to young people, who have experienced homelessness and are starting out in their tenancies for the first time. Reuse, Repair and Upcycling workshops have been delivered to help give young people in Kirkby the skills needed to upcycle unwanted furniture.
Cheryl Roach, Centre 63 Business Development Manager, said: “The funding was crucial in allowing us to run the Remake Yourself Hub and has ensured that the young people taking part have the knowledge and skills to refurbish and repair rather than having to buy new.”
Interested groups can download the application form from the MRWA website www.merseysidewda.gov.uk.
The deadline for submissions is 11.59pm on Sunday 15th March.
Successful projects should receive the funding in May 2020 and will have ten months to deliver their schemes.
Organisations interested in this year’s Community Fund can:
– Download the application form and guidance document at https://www.merseysidewda.gov.uk/waste-strategy/community-fund/2021-2/
– Contact the Authority: communityfund.2020-2021@merseysidewda.gov.uk / Tel: 0151 255 1444
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS: Sunday 15th March 2020, 11.59pm.