$50,000 boost for Hamilton's great waste ideas

Eight projects to help Hamilton residents reduce, re-use and recycle their waste have been given a share of $50,000 following this year’s round of Hamilton City Council’s Contestable Waste Minimisation Fund.
The fund, derived from the Government’s national waste levy, supports projects promoting or achieving waste minimisation in the city.

The range of grants this year includes $10,000 to support the expansion of an e-waste service, $12,000 to help the successful Kaivolution food initiative, $4,928 for a project which helps young families reduce waste in the home and $3,000 for a project to convert shredded documents into wool bedding for animals. There is also $8,900 for a resource exchange project for university students to swap, collect or gift unwanted items to charities or community groups.

“This year’s applications had a great range of initiatives for reducing our city’s waste and this funding will help turn those ideas into reality,” said Hamilton City Council’s Waste Minimisation Advisor Kerry Skeer.
One of the recipients is ‘The Nappy Lady’, Kate Meads, who says the funding will support four workshops in Hamilton next year which provide information and product packs to families with babies. Kate was dubbed ‘The Nappy Lady’ in a television interview and the name has not only stuck, it’s now the title of her website.

A regular writer for baby magazines, Kate has appeared on television’s breakfast shows, and says the nationwide workshops show parents how to reduce waste through making their own baby food, reducing packaging, and utilising cloth nappies.

Reducing waste is not only good for the environment; it also reduces dependence on landfills and ultimately reduces costs for ratepayers. Recycling and composting are also great ways to reduce waste in the home.

For more information, visti: hamilton.govt.nz/wasteminimisation