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Waste tax benefits wildlife
12 November 2009
Image: Kaleel Zibe
One of the most successful but relatively unsung sources of financial support for nature and wildlife projects is the Landfill Communities Fund (formerly the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme).
Since 1996, this brilliantly simple scheme has been recycling tax money from landfill waste to environmental projects around landfill sites and far beyond.
A lifeline for wildlife projects, and real community benefits
For nature conservation organisations the Landfill Communities Fund has been a lifeline at a time when funding for the natural environment is being squeezed ever more tightly. The benefits of the Fund are not limited to wildlife activities – it has funded thousands of local community projects ranging from village hall refurbishments to playgrounds.
How it works
The landfill tax is designed to reduce landfill by placing a charge on every ton of waste going to landfill sites, with currently 6 per cent of the tax available to be diverted into the Landfill Communities Fund.
Originally planned to run until 2004, the Fund has been so successful that in March 2003 the government announced a revised version focusing on community and natural environment projects. Although the success of the tax has been slow to take effect itself it is heartening to know that up to £72 million per year is made available for environmental and community projects.
The Fund operates mainly through a small number of ‘Distributive Environmental Bodies’, approved private sector bodies charged with assessing applications, awarding funding, and ensuring good value for money.
Some of our most exciting and ambitious wildlife projects have been supported under long-term funding agreements through organisations such as the SITA Trust’s Enriching Nature Programme, Waste Recycling Environmental's Biodiversity Action Fund and Biffa Award’s Partnership Programme. Click on the links to find out more about these programmes.
You can benefit, too...
If you represent a voluntary group looking for funding support from the Landfill Communities Fund, click on the link to find out more about the Fund. To apply for funding, a project has to be eligible under the Fund regulations, details of which are available from the website of the Fund Regulator, ENTRUST.