Environz

• Better systems for better outcomes
• RMA on the road
• Fiordland Marine Guardians release annual report
• Environmental Protection Authority is born
• Tui Mine – two years on
• Waste Minimisation Fund criteria released
• LUCAS 2009 – a space odyssey
• Greener future for NZ film
• We can’t manage what we don’t measure
• Electric vehicles catch the eye of the Kiwi motorist
• National Environmental Reporting Forum
• In brief & For your diary

Waste Minimisation Fund criteria released

On 1 July the Waste Disposal Levy was introduced under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 to encourage waste minimisation and decrease waste disposal in New Zealand. Waste disposal facility operators are now required to pay a $10 per tonne levy (excluding GST) on all waste disposed of at their facilities.

Fifty per cent of levy revenue will be allocated to local councils, on a population basis, to spend on promoting or achieving waste minimisation. The other 50 per cent (minus administration costs) will be allocated to the Waste Minimisation Fund. The purpose of the fund is to increase resource efficiency, reuse, recovery and recycling, and decrease waste disposal to landfill in New Zealand.

The draft fund criteria were released by the Ministry earlier in the year.  Public submissions were taken into account, the criteria reviewed and revised by the Advisory Board, and then approved by the Minister for the Environment.

On 14 October at the annual Waste Management Institute of New Zealand (WasteMINZ) conference, Minister for the Environment Dr Nick Smith announced the fund criteria.

Preference will be given to projects that provide the largest net benefit over time. The effectiveness of projects will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate the following:

• likelihood of success
• reduction of harm to the environment
• reduction in the volume of waste disposed of
• economic, environmental, social or cultural benefits
• longer-term benefits after the completion of the project.

Partnership and cross-sector collaboration is encouraged and will be taken into account when the strategic value (ability of a project to reduce waste) of proposals is assessed.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• ability to deliver the project
• how the project will achieve its goals
• how the effectiveness of the project will be monitored, evaluated and reported
• if and how the project will be used to promote waste minimisation to the wider public
• if and how the project will continue after funding ends and become self sustaining, particularly if the funding is for the establishment phase of a longer-term project.

“The fund will need to go through three to four cycles before patterns begin to emerge, ” says Martyn Pinckard, Director of Operations at the Ministry. In the meantime, the Ministry will be evaluating processes and fine tuning the criteria after each funding round to make improvements as time goes on.”

Applications for the fund will open in December 2009.

To receive email updates about the Waste Minimisation Fund send your name and email address to wmf@mfe.govt.nz, subject: WMF ROI.

To view the full Waste Minimisation Fund criteria go to
www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/waste/waste-disposal-levy/criteria-waste-minimisation-fund.html

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