Community groups, councils, regional waste groups, and businesses across NSW can access $2M in grants to help clean-up and prevent litter, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Engagement, Education and Programs Executive Director, Liesbet Spanjaard, announced on October 5.
Litter Prevention Grants of up to $150,000 are available in four streams including Council Litter Prevention Grants Program, Litter Regional Implementation Program, Community Litter Prevention Grants Program and the Cigarette Butt Litter Prevention Grants Program.
Spanjaard said that NSW had already seen a 43 per cent reduction in statewide litter volume since 2013/14.
“These grants provide the opportunity to build on that success with exciting local initiatives.
“Community groups and councils including regional waste groups, can apply for grants of up to $150,000 for projects that help prevent and clean up local litter.
“This might include installing cigarette butt bins in parks, localising the successful Don’t be a Tosser campaign, running community clean up days or developing education strategies and litter enforcement campaigns.
“Businesses such as pubs and clubs, and government organisations can apply under the Cigarette Butt grant stream for projects that help manage butt litter.
“Projects completed through previous grants have had great success, reducing average litter by 70 per cent at targeted hotspots.
“We know litter is less likely to return once it’s cleaned up, so these local initiatives have a real impact.
“I encourage groups, councils and businesses to brainstorm the best way to tackle litter in their area and to put those ideas into action by applying for a Litter Prevention Grant,” Spanjaard said.
The Litter Prevention Grants support the litter targets in the NSW Government’s Waste and Materials Strategy 2041 and the NSW Plastics Action Plan, including a 30 per cent reduction in plastic litter by 2025, and a 60 per cent reduction in overall litter by 2030.
Applications for the Litter Prevention Grants Transition Round are open until November 8, 2021.
More information about each of the grant streams including how to apply is available at https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/litter-program
Source,
Media release, Oct 5
NSW Environment Protection Authority