1.2 Purpose of this waste assessment - Waikato District Council

tyres. Most of these products are the subject of voluntary schemes currently and the government has indicatedit will monitor the outcomes of these voluntary schemes before deciding on their priority product status.The following schemes have currently been accredited by the Minister for the Environment:• Geocycle Holcim Used Oil Recovery Scheme – used oil collection and disposal scheme.• The PlasbackTM - scheme to recover used farm plastics for recycling.• The Glass Packaging Forum’s glass packaging product stewardship scheme - scheme for reducing theamount of glass packaging sent to landfill.• Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme– scheme to recover agrichemical plastic containers, silage wrap,crop protection net and agrichemicals.• Refrigerant Recovery- scheme to collect and destruct unwanted synthetic refrigerants, chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons.The council has the opportunity to benefit from the introduction of product stewardship schemes as they mayimprove the recovery and diversion of products the council currently manages. Of particular importance in theWaikato district is the Agrecovery scheme.A.2.4.4Waste minimisation fundThe Waste Minimisation Fund has been set up by the Ministry for the Environment to help fund wasteminimisation projects and to improve New Zealand’s waste minimisation performance through:• Investment in infrastructure• Investment in waste minimisation systems• Increasing educational and promotional capacity.Criteria for the Waste Minimisation Fund have been published:1. Only waste minimisation projects are eligible for funding. Projects must promote or achieve wasteminimisation. Waste minimisation covers the reduction of waste and the reuse, recycling andrecovery of waste and diverted material. The scope of the fund includes educational projectsthat promote waste minimisation activity.2. Projects must result in new waste minimisation activity, either by implementing new initiatives or asignificant expansion in the scope or coverage of existing activities.3. Funding is not for the ongoing financial support of existing activities, nor is it for the running costs ofthe existing activities of organisations, individuals, councils or firms.4. Projects should be for a discrete timeframe of up to three years, after which the project objectives willhave been achieved and, where appropriate, the initiative will become self-funding.5. Funding can be for operational or capital expenditure required to undertake a project.6. For projects where alternative, more suitable, government funding streams are available (such asthe Sustainable Management Fund, the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund, or research fundingfrom the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology), applicants should apply to these fundingsources before applying to the Waste Minimisation Fund.7. The applicant must be a legal entity.8. The fund will not cover the entire cost of the project. Applicants will need part funding from othersources.9. The minimum grant for feasibility studies will be $10,000.00. The minimum grant for other projects willbe $50,000.00.(Source: www.mfe.govt.nz)Assessment criteria have also been published by the Ministry, and workshops have been held around NewZealand to explain the application process and the criteria. Those applying for funding need to remember theWaikato District Council waste assessment 201157