Free workshops to help secure funding for local recycling projects

A new community fund seeking to support recycling projects in Greater Manchester is offering free workshops to help the organisers of projects navigate the application process, and improve their chances of securing funding to get their ideas off the ground.

The Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund is a joint Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) and SUEZ initiative for projects that help to reduce household waste in the city region. Like so many things throughout the past year, lots of environmental projects, plans and ideas had to be put on hold, but as the country gradually emerges from lockdown now is the time to get going and put them into action.

The R4GM Community Fund can provide projects with a financial boost to do just this. In particular, innovative projects that are novel and involve a new and untried approach to tackling an issue in the key waste areas of waste prevention, increasing recycling, reuse of household waste, and reducing contamination, are welcomed.

The £220,000 R4GM Community Fund has already generated a lot of interest and several applications are being considered. To be eligible for the scheme, projects should contribute towards preventing, reusing, or recycling household waste, promoting the sustainable use of waste and resources and generating wider social benefits for the community of Greater Manchester.

There are two funding awards available – projects could receive up to £10,000 from council level awards, or up to £20,000 from Greater Manchester level awards for projects that cover more than one council area.

Projects will be linked to the fund by the newly established Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF) which has been created to deliver Greater Manchester’s ambition for a “clean, carbon-neutral, climate resilient city region with a thriving natural environment”, by aligning public and philanthropic funding, attracting private investment, prioritising limited resources and facilitating collaborative bids.

The GMEF is helping to facilitate the workshops, and encourages any groups or organisations with a recycling project in the pipeline, or a great idea for one, to book a place to find out more about the application process and how to make their project stand out.

GMEF Grants Manager, Jenny Griggs, said: “We understand that many people find the application process a little daunting for any funding so we are offering online workshops which will ensure they are doing things the best possible way. We believe that there are many people out there with exciting ideas on how they can reuse, repair and recycle, which can benefit the environment and help to make their own communities cleaner and greener.”

There are two dates available for the workshops, Thursday 6 May at 6pm and Saturday 8 May at 10am. To secure a place register via Eventbrite or email gmenvfund@lancswt.org.uk.

For more information on the fund and to download an application form go to gmenvfund.org. Applications are now open and will close on Monday 31 May.

Applications are welcomed from community and voluntary sector organisations such as registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, community, neighbourhood or voluntary groups, faith groups delivering community work, schools, colleges or universities, and projects of all sizes can apply.

Projects will need to focus on one or more of the priority waste streams - food waste, paper and card, glass, textiles, furniture or waste electrical and electronic equipment. Applying organisations must also be based in one or more of the following Greater Manchester council areas; Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford.

The R4GM Community Fund is just one fund currently available through the GMEF and more funds will be available to apply for as the scheme grows, allowing a whole range of environmental and nature projects to benefit. The GMEF is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside.

The GMEF website will celebrate projects that have been funded and help interested projects to apply for funding. It will also introduce organisations and businesses, who may want to fund green initiatives, to green projects in Greater Manchester. The website can be found at www.gmenvfund.org.