Local Government Waste Solutions Fund Round 1

This fund supports NSW local councils, collaborations of councils, and regional waste groups in the levy paying areas to deliver innovative waste and recycling solutions to their communities.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Up to $400,000
  • Application opened: 16 January 2023
  • Application closed: 31 March 2023, 5:00 pm

Program objective

The $10 million Local Government Waste Solutions Fund aims to:

  • support NSW local councils, collaborations of councils, and regional waste groups in the levy paying areas to deliver innovative waste and recycling solutions to their communities that support transition towards a circular economy and contribute to achieving NSW Government’s waste priorities and targets
  • facilitate collaboration, knowledge-sharing and partnerships to assist NSW local councils to transition to a circular economy and have long-term impacts 
  • support local councils to share the findings and resources of funded projects.

This program is funded and administered by Environment Protection Authority.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding under the Local Government Waste Solutions Fund, innovation projects must be able to contribute to achieving at least one of the NSW Government’s waste priorities and targets and be measurable.

The Local Government Waste Solutions Fund will support innovative waste and recycling solutions that contribute to achieving at least one of the priorities and targets identified in the WaSM strategy and the NSW Plastics Action Plan. The eligible priorities and targets are listed below:

  • reduce total waste generated by 10% per person by 2030
  • have an 80% average recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030
  • halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030
  • net zero emissions from organic waste by 2030
  • litter reduction target of 60% by 2030
  • plastic litter reduction target of 30% by 2025
  • triple the plastics recycling rate by 2030
  • phase out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025
  • significantly increase the use of recycled content by governments and industry
  • reduce illegal dumping.

Local Government Waste Solutions projects can be delivered by an individual or collaboration of local councils, individual or collaboration of regional waste groups.

Projects may take several months to years to complete. All projects funded by the Local Government Waste Solutions Fund must be completed by end of 2026–27.

Who can apply

The Local Government Waste Solutions Fund is available to the following eligible organisations:

  • local councils that pay waste levies in the regulated area. This includes the 42 councils in the metropolitan levy area (MLA) and the 19 councils in the regional levy area (RLA). The names of these councils are defined by Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation
  • regional waste groups of councils in the Greater Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra regions that are supported by the EPA Regional Coordination Support Program
  • voluntary regional waste groups in the RLA, supported by the EPA Regional Coordination Support Program.

Who can’t apply

  • Individuals or groups of individuals

  • Unincorporated organisations

  • For-profit commercial organisation

Types of projects funded under this grant

The fund can be used for innovation projects that contribute to achieving the NSW Government’s waste priorities and targets. Project costs may include:

  • collecting, transporting and processing costs of materials for re-use and/or diversion from landfill
  • leasing or capital purchases (e.g. equipment, infrastructure)
  • planning, feasibility studies, research and strategy development activities • resourcing including consultants, contractors, project management, administration and/or implementation costs.

Project examples might include:

  • designing out waste from the point of purchase
  • supporting the sharing/re-use economy to increase the volume of materials re-used, repurposed, repaired or recycled, with improved value
  • collaborating with organisations to identify circular economy opportunities on a local or regional scale and implement circular economy solutions
  • trialling a service that decreases waste materials (such as glass, electronic waste, plastics, tyres, textiles) being sent to landfill while achieving social and economic outcomes for the community.

What can’t you apply for

The fund cannot be used for:

  • projects that have designated funding programs under the WaSM strategy and the NSW Plastics Action Plan
  • projects that do not align with the objectives and policies of the Environment Protection Authority, WaSM strategy or the NSW Plastics Action Plan, and/or do not contribute to achieving the NSW Government’s waste priorities and targets or cannot be measured or quantified.
  • financial co-contribution to other grants, including, but not limited to, contestable grants being delivered under the WaSM strategy, the NSW Plastics Action Plan and other relevant strategies • legal advice
  • collection and transportation of materials that cannot be recycled or diverted from landfill (e.g. asbestos) or the clean-up of litter or illegally dumped materials
  • ongoing delivery of pre-existing local council or regional waste group programs including those previously funded by the NSW EPA Better Waste and Recycling Fund
  • works that will be or have been funded by other sources. However, additional funding from other sources may be used in tandem with the Waste Solutions Fund to enhance the outcomes of the project. Eligible organisations must state in their grant application if they have secured funding for the same project through another source. The applicant must justify and maintain any relevant project and funding boundaries.

Most recent recipients

All recipients (11)

What your application needs to include

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform.  You will receive an acknowledgement of your application form after submission via SmartyGrants. If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, contact the Community Waste Programs team at localgovernment.programs@epa.nsw.gov.au to ensure your application has been received.

The application form consists of two parts:

Part A: General applicant(s) details

Part B: Project plan, which includes:

  • project description, including project need. Framing the problem statement correctly is critical to developing an innovative solution • innovation proposal
  • implementation details
  • monitoring and evaluation plan, including measures. Projects need to be measured or quantified.
  • risk management mechanisms in place to address delays and/or barriers to success • description of how the project will build capacity, share knowledge, and foster collaboration and partnerships
  • project impact – outcomes, scalability and longevity
  • amount of funding sought and if other financial or in-kind contributions are being provided or sourced
  • preferred start and end date.

Grant applications will be assessed against the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines (see the Assessment criteria section). Well thought out, innovative and collaborative projects that have the potential to have the highest project impact will be prioritised in the selection process.

Eligible organisations can only be the lead applicant in one grant (project) application per competitive round.

1

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.

2

Address the assessment criteria

The independent technical review committee (TRC) will review all eligible applications based on the selection criteria below. All questions in the application form should be answered fully and should be prepared with these criteria in mind.

Robustness of the project

  • Is the project proposal supported by evidence?
  • Does the solution address the issue or knowledge gap?
  • Is the implementation plan sufficiently detailed and realistic?
  • Is there a clear monitoring and evaluation plan, including measures of success?
  • Are there risk management mechanisms in place?

Innovation

  • The extent to which the project or solution is new, unique or adds value to something that may already exist

Building capacity for change

How the project may involve, or how the applicant(s) may undertake, the following:

  • collaboration with other organisations such as industry, businesses, schools etc.
  • knowledge sharing e.g. with other local councils and organisations
  • mentoring
  • networks
  • partnerships

Project impact

  • Outcomes: how the project will contribute to achieving the NSW Government’s waste priorities and targets, other additional outcomes or benefits (e.g. carbon abatement, economic, social)
  • Scalability: the extent to which the project is of interest or value to other councils, localities and communities; the extent to which the project can be replicated, expanded or scaled up in the future
  • Longevity: whether the benefits of the project will be sustained over the long term

Value for money

  • Predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions

If a funding round is oversubscribed, projects recommended for funding will be grouped into funding streams based on geographical area. To support innovation across the waste levy region, approximately one-third of the funding pool will be available to organisations outside the Sydney Local Government Waste Solutions Fund | 7 Metropolitan Levy Area and two-thirds of the funding pool to organisations in the Sydney Metropolitan Levy Area. The TRC will rank the eligible applications during the assessment process.

 

Start the application

Applications for this grant are available via the NSW EPA SmartyGrants portal.

After the application is submitted

The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.

Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcomes of the application assessment process. Funding decisions are final and there is no appeal process. Successful applicants may not receive the full amount requested, and funding offers may be subject to special, as well as general, conditions of funding (such as requested inclusions or changes).

Grant conditions

Successful applicants will be required to abide by the conditions contained in the EPA funding deed. If you are not willing or able to agree to these conditions, you should not apply for the Local Government Waste Solutions Fund. A copy of the standard funding deed of agreement is available on request.

We expect funded projects to be delivered on time and on budget and will only consider variations in exceptional circumstances. These requests must be submitted in writing for EPA consideration and approval.

Projects supported by the Local Government Waste Solutions Fund are required to acknowledge the funding source on all publications, externally distributed reports, websites and publicity material relating to the funded projects. Organisations must provide the EPA with a copy of all publicity material before it is published or released and must not publish or release publicity material containing the NSW Government or the NSW EPA’s logo without the EPA’s approval.

Funded applicants must ensure that all projects supported by the LGWS fund comply with all planning and environmental laws, and regulatory and policy requirements of NSW and the Commonwealth, including all public health orders, COVID-19 safety orders, or other related orders.

Support and contact

Contact the NSW EPA Community Waste Programs team on localgovernment.programs@epa.nsw.gov.au

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