Council backs waste reduction initiatives of Kāpiti schools and businesses

Kāpiti Coast District Council’s Grants Allocation Committee has announced this year’s recipients of its Waste Levy Grants, aimed at increasing the range, scale and number of waste minimisation activities on the Kāpiti Coast.

“Every year this fund attracts a wide range of applications from the community and businesses with awesome local solutions for how they can cut their waste down,” says Districtwide Councillor and sustainable waste management portfolio holder Jackie Elliott.

Of the eight applications received, seven groups met the criteria and have been selected for full or part-funding of an activity, with $22,436 awarded in total.

Successful applicants include the Kāpiti Waldorf Trust, which will receive $4,800 to upgrade Te Ra Waldorf School’s current onsite composting system with two CarbonCycle bins, and Paekākāriki School’s Garden Group, who have been awarded $4,000 to cover material and labour costs to upgrade their aging compost pallet bins and to develop a compost educational programme for students, staff and the community. 

A further $6,000 will be shared among three other community groups to part-fund their projects which include aluminium can recycling, a waste minimisation workshop and an innovative school-based plastic recycling plant.

“We are also delighted to be able to fund two local businesses this year, through a new Business Waste grant category. Koakoa will receive funding to extend their established bottle return scheme, and the Māoriland Charitable Trust can now add two additional NZBox composters to the Māoriland Hub maara (garden) to process organic waste from local businesses and the community.

 “Ultimately, reducing our waste starts with the actions of each and every one of us. By rethinking the way we use things, minimising what we throw away and changing how we dispose of things, we can reduce our impact on the environment and ensure that Kāpiti is a beautiful place for generations to come,” says Ms Elliott.

See Waste Levy Grants for more information.