Waste Minimisation Community Fund

The 2026 funding round is open from Monday, March 30 to Friday, April 17. 

Applicants will find out if their proposal is accepted or declined by early June.

The Waste Minimisation Community Fund is offered annually between March – April (exact dates are confirmed at the start of the year).

Every year Waipā District Council receives Ministry for the Environment funding from the Waste Disposal Levy,  to ‘promote or achieve waste minimisation’ in our district. We need as many people as possible working on waste minimisation in Waipā to make a dent in the amount of waste created.

We’ve put together everything you need to know about the fund.

Please read this before you apply. For example, we do not fund projects related to disposal of waste to landfill, or recycling bins.

Once you’ve had a read, get in touch with us if you’d like to road-test your project idea. We are more than happy to help you to develop your idea or guide you through the application – we are here to help! Email our friendly Waste Minimisation Team to chat: wastefund@waipadc.govt.nz

Waste Minimisation Community Fund Information 2025

Received funding in 2025-26 / Construction waste minimisation

Queenwood Property received funding to implement a trial Waste Minimisation Strategy in one of their Leamington developments. Working alongside local contractors and suppliers, they were able to sort waste on-site into specific categories, sell and donate excess reusable materials to local groups, track and report waste volumes and diversion rates for each category, and identify challenges and provide actionable recommendations for future builds in the Waipā District. They were able to divert more than 81% of their project waste from landfill.

Received funding in 2025-26 / Waste audit

The Motorhome, Caravan and Leisure Show received co-funding to conduct their first waste audit. This allowed them to understand how much waste their event generates and to develop sustainability alternatives for future events. With over 20,000 attendees over a 3-day event, they were able to divert almost 58 percent of their total waste from landfill and have plans to increase their resource recovery for future events.

Received funding in 2024-25 / Compost bins and garden shredder

The students at Te Miro School were able to build their own compost bins to turn their food scraps, paper, paper towels and green waste into valuable and nutrient-rich compost. They also received funding to purchase a robust shredder to tackle the green waste from their school orchard, which has allowed them to create enough compost for their veggie gardens and orchard on-site.

Received funding in 2024-25 / Reusable towels

The tamariki at Cambridge Kids Playgroup made the switch from single-use paper towels to reusable hand towels, thanks to a grant from the Waste Minimisation Community Fund. They purchased a fleet of 300 towels which they now launder in-house to provide a fully reusable alternative. An estimated 7,800 hand towels have since been prevented from going to landfill in just one year.  

Received funding in 2024-25 / Berm gardens

Street Harvest built on their street berm neighbourhood garden project to establish new sites around Cambridge. In order to share their learnings from the last couple of years, they created an educational video and resources to teach other communities and districts how to get their own shared berm gardens off the ground. You can find those resources here.

Received funding in 2024-25 / Upcycling workshops

A Waste Minimisation Community Fund grant allowed The Recreators to hold three workshops across Waipā using exclusively repurposed wood. Their hands-on workshops taught essential DIY power tools skills, enabling people to continue their upcycling journeys at home.