Six Western Australian community groups will share $76,000 for projects to improve waste management, recycling and public education on waste issues.
Groups in North Perth, West Leederville, East Perth, Albany, Denmark and Hyden will receive funding from the Community Grants Scheme second round.
Among the successful bidders is Green Skills in Denmark. It will collect $19,254 to improve waste minimisation in the area by expanding its successful tip shop and recycling centre.
Green Skills Project Manager Basil Schur, who submitted the organisation’s grant application, said the money would be “very valuable”. It hopes to establish an additional 84 m2 storage facility, acquire a new front-end loader and a second-hand five-tonne truck for salvage demolition and other tasks.
The Perth City Farm branch of Men of the Trees Incorporated is awarded $18,490 for a new storage facility to collect numerous municipal waste streams and minimise what goes to landfill, as well as for running programs to educate Perth residents about recycling and better waste management.
“The community projects are not only innovative but have been successful because of the dedication of the people behind them, many of whom are volunteers,” said WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob.
The other successful groups were Hyden Lions Club, North Perth Community Garden, Rainbow Coast Neighbourhood Centre, and Relationships Australia WA.
The Community Grants Scheme has provided $1.35 million to 144 community groups since 2004 to support small-scale community projects which improve the management of waste in Western Australia.
The scheme is funded by the landfill levy and support projects that divert waste from landfill and recover it as a resource.
The WA Government target is to divert 65 per cent of municipal solid waste in the Perth metropolitan region away from landfill by 2020.
More information on applying for grants is available on the Waste Authority’s website.