Waste no time to apply for community funding

RE>BUILD’s warehouse for furniture re-use

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) 2011 Community Waste Fund has re-launched today, offering £50,000 to community groups and organisations, for the chance to kick start waste prevention and recycling projects.

GMWDA is inviting community organisations and groups to submit proposals that demonstrate a positive effect on reducing the amount of waste produced and increase re-use and recycling.

GMWDA is also encouraging partnership working and an excellent example of this is two community organisations PEARLS and RE>BUILD (based in Rochdale and Bury), who successfully applied for the Community Waste Fund last year. They have collaborated to enable a scrap store scheme to start in the RE>START centre in Bury. The store will collect unwanted scrap materials from local businesses and sell the quality low cost resources to schools, nurseries, community groups and individuals for arts and craft purposes.

Councillor Neil Swannick, Chairman of GMWDA said: “We are delighted to announce the Community Waste Fund for 2011.”

Tina Wright from PEARLS who received a share of the community waste fund said: “The Bury scrap store has been made possible thanks to Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority’s Community Waste Fund.”

Liz Jackson the Chief Executive of RE>BUILD, which diverts household furniture from landfill and distributes it to the people who need it most said: “Since receiving the GMWDA grant we have extended our furniture collection service into the Bamford, Norden and Heywood areas and we are also keen to promote the low-cost furniture into those same areas.

“Both ourselves and PEARLS are organisations that are working hard to alleviate poverty, empower individuals and help to improve the environment and we are pleased to be able to make our own unique contributions to the Bury and Rochdale areas.”

This is the first round of funding for 2011 and will close on the 17 June. It will be followed by a second round of funding in December 2011.

For more information and to fill in an Expression of Interest Form, then email communitywastefund@gmwda.gov.uk.