Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $60,000
- Application opened: 5 August 2025
- Application closed: 27 November 2025, 5:00 pm
Program objective
This stream is designed to promote knowledge building and support trials and pilots for entities with limited experience in running illegal dumping projects.
Funding of up to $60,000 is available per project, which must be completed within 12 months.
This program is administered by Environment Protection Authority.
Eligibility
Who can apply
The following entities are eligible:
• Individual councils
• Groups of councils eg ROCs, JOs, Regional Waste Groups
• State government public land managers
Who can’t apply
Ineligible entities
The following entities have received more than one grant under the past 3 rounds of illegal dumping grants, namely Round 7 of Waste Less Recycle More, or Round 1 and 2 of Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy.
These entities are not eligible to apply for grants under Stream 2:
Bathurst Regional Council (7, 1)
Cessnock Council (7, 1 & 2)
Cumberland Council (7 & 1)
Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (7, 1, & 2)
Penrith Council (7 & 1)
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Completed application through SmartyGrants including:
- Relevant photos or maps
- Letter of support from project partners (if relevant)
See guidelines on EPA website
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Address the assessment criteria
Assessment criteria for Stream 2
Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:
Size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting).
- Effectiveness of proposed approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area, extent of collaboration with appropriate partners and stakeholders (30% weighting).
- Probable extent and longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting).
- Appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting).
- Excellence of project’s proposed data gathering and evaluation (10% weighting).
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW EPA CEO. Applications will undergo an eligibility check before being reviewed by an independent technical review committee using the criteria set out below. The technical review committee will recommend projects to the EPA CEO for funding.
Applications will be assessed by a technical review committee (TRC). The committee will assess potential performance based on an applicant’s ability to meet selection criteria.
The TRC will rank the eligible applications during the assessment process. The TRC then makes recommendations to the EPA. The EPA Chief Executive Officer will make final funding decisions.
We encourage any unsuccessful applicants to request feedback and consider re-applying in future funding opportunities.
All funding is 100% contestable.
Support and contact
Need advice? The Illegal Dumping Prevention Team can advise on these guidelines and the types of activities funded by grants. To contact staff email illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au.