New community fund aims to reduce landfill waste in Stratford

Stratford District Council (SDC) has created a $25,000 Waste Levy Fund to support new activities and projects that reduce the amount of Stratford waste going into landfill. The district’s Waste Levy Fund was created using money distributed to SDC through the Government’s national waste disposal levy.

Applications will open in February 2023, but Victoria Araba, Director - Assets, says they want people to think now about projects that could avoid, reduce, recycle, recover, or reuse waste.

“We are a country of creative, practical thinkers. We hope that by supporting and encouraging community-minded people and organisations to tackle waste head on, we’ll see a measurable decrease in the amount of general waste in the Stratford district,” says Mrs Araba.

“The benefits of reducing the amount of waste going to landfill is clear. We’re working hard to reduce our impact on the environment, now and in the future. Our ratepayers and our community are better off for these efforts.”

Information about the Waste Levy Fund and the application process can be found at Stratford.govt.nz/WasteFund

Mrs Araba says SDC is excited to see the proposals put forward in the new year.

“We’re a small council in a small country, but through initiatives like this fund, we can work with our community to come up with local solutions to global issues.”