Funding open for local projects that reduce waste

Published on 07 September 2026

Applications are now open for Whanganui District Council’s Waste Minimisation Fund, which supports projects that reduce waste and keep valuable resources in use for longer.

Funded through the national Waste Minimisation Levy (not rates), the fund is open to community groups, businesses, Iwi and Hapū, education providers and individuals in the Whanganui District.

Councillor Rob Vinsen says the council is particularly keen to support projects that prevent waste from being created in the first place through redesign, reuse, repair or repurposing.

“Recycling has an important role to play, but there are even greater benefits when we can avoid creating waste altogether or find ways to keep materials and products in use for longer.

“We know there are people and organisations across Whanganui with good ideas about how we can reduce waste. This fund gives them an opportunity to put those ideas into practice and demonstrate what can work.”

Previous funding rounds have supported a range of local initiatives, including food waste recovery, construction waste recycling and projects that make it easier for materials to be reused rather than sent to landfill.

One local business supported through the fund is Easy Earth, which has diverted around 2,700 tonnes of organic material from landfill since it began operating in 2019.

Easy Earth collects food scraps from Whanganui businesses and households and processes them locally using an in-vessel composting system, turning material that would otherwise rot in a landfill into compost.

Easy Earth founder Derek Pickering says the business was established to give people a sustainable way to deal with food scraps – when those services weren’t otherwise readily available.

“We believe that a lot of people want to do the right thing for the environment, but the right services aren’t always available to allow that to happen.

“The seed funding from the Waste Minimisation Fund was a huge help in our early days. It allowed us to roll out our composting services faster and provide a better service to our customers, which ultimately meant more organic waste being diverted from landfill.”

Up to $60,000 a year is available through the Waste Minimisation Fund across two funding rounds. Commercial projects can receive funding for up to 40% of their total project costs, while community and public good projects can receive up to 60%.

Applications are open from now until 13 October 2026.

For more information, to discuss a project idea, or to apply, visit: whanganui.govt.nz/waste-minimisation-fund