local groups and voluntary organisations will have another opportunity to apply for funding to help cut waste and promote sustainability through the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) Community Fund, which opens today (1 April).
The Community Fund is a joint R4GM and SUEZ initiative to support Greater Manchester community and voluntary sector groups to deliver projects that help to reduce household waste in Greater Manchester.
The £220,000 Community Fund will be divided between two different award categories. A total of £180,000 is available for projects that will benefit individual council areas within Greater Manchester, with a maximum of £10,000 per project for schemes in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, or Trafford (this excludes Wigan as they operate separate waste disposal arrangements).
A Greater Manchester level award will be open to projects that cover more than one council area or all nine councils (excluding Wigan). A total of £40,000 of funding is on offer with a maximum of £20,000 available per project.
Any charity, community, voluntary and faith groups, schools, colleges, universities or not for profit organisations can apply online for funding this year from 1st April to 31st May.
A wide variety of entries are welcomed, and might include a project that reduces food waste by teaching people how to prepare meals using ingredients they’d usually throw away,an initiative that collects unwanted textiles to use in crafting sessions that improve connectivity and mental health or a repair workshops that help people learn the skills to fix broken items instead of buying new ones.
Last year, successful projects included The Food Collective’s zero waste community supermarket; the Green Superheroes project by Future Directions CIC; and No Time to Waste by Rochdale Intraquest.
The fund has been set up through a joint initiative with SUEZ, the contractor appointed by GMCA to operate the waste and resources contracts. As part of the contract, SUEZ made more than 50 social value commitments with a view to transitioning to a more circular economy where nearly all waste materials are given a second life.
SUEZ operates the 20 household waste recycling centres across Greater Manchester. Sites at Woodhouse Lane in Trafford, Boysnope Wharf in Salford, and Arkwright Street in Oldham are home to the ‘Renew’ shops. The shops sell affordable, pre-loved household items donated at the household waste recycling centres such as furniture, bric-a-brac, games and toys. All the money from the shops is given to good causes across Greater Manchester, with at least £220,000 each year provided to the community fund to ensure its sustainability. To find out more and apply for the fund, visit Recycle for Greater Manchester.
The Community Fund is part of the Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF) which has been established to provide more sustained investment in projects which contribute to creating a cleaner, carbon neutral Greater Manchester and to attract private investment. The environment fund, managed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) aims to target funding to projects which improve nature, waterways and green spaces. For more information, please visit the website: www.gmenvfund.org.
