The 2024 Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Waste Minimisation Community Fund (WMCF) is now open for applications.

The ongoing goal of the fund is to support community efforts that help move the Queenstown Lakes towards becoming a sustainable, zero-waste district.

It aims to help individuals, community groups, businesses, Iwi/Māori organisations and education providers develop initiatives that reduce or divert waste from landfill and encourage community participation in waste minimisation.

This year, a funding pool of $50,000 is available for community projects that encourage enduring change in waste behaviour, and $10,000 for commercial waste minimisation or resource recovery projects.

“Whether you're a grassroots community group, a local business or school, or an enthusiastic individual with a great idea that supports reducing waste at the source and or diverts material from landfill, we want to hear from you,” QLDC senior sustainability advisor Kath Buttar said.

“We want to support projects that prevent waste in the first place as well as projects that focus on keeping resources in circulation through re-use, repair, and repurposing of materials.”

The WMCF was founded in 2018 and it has supported a range of projects.

Last 15 projects were supported across the district spanning food rescue, textile waste reduction, composting and reuse initiatives.

They included Mountainside Educare’s waste minimisation programme, the reuse initiatives at Wānaka Community Workshop and Fabricate and Kids First Kindergarten’s Hāwea composting project, among others.

Applications for the fund will be open for five weeks, closing on May 17.

Learn more about the initiatives supported by last year’s funding here and learn more about QLDC’s Waste Minimisation Community Fund here.

PHOTO: Fabricate