Regional Funding Program Pilot Phase Update

The Waste Authority invited all eligible groupings of local governments to participate in the pilot phase of the Regional Funding Program. In order to access funding these regional groupings are now required to develop Regional Investment Plans derived from their Strategic Waste Management Plans.

If a regional grouping submitted its Strategic Waste Management Plan before 30th September 2008 it was invited to participate in Round 1 of the Program. Groups that submitted after this date but before 30th March 2009, were eligible for Round 2 funding. Eighty percent of funding was allocated to Round 1 with the remainder available in Round 2. Round 1 participants shared in the larger allocation of total program funds, as they constituted more than half the potential participants and were better placed to spend funding allocations before the cut off date of 30th December 2009. It also recognised groupings who submitted their Strategic Waste Management Plans by the September 2008 deadline.

Funding in each round was allocated according to the population of the regional groupings and the number of participating local governments.

The highest amounts of funding allocated under the pilot program are $400,000 for a metropolitan group and $155,000 for a non-metropolitan group. The ten Round 2 participating groupings are each eligible for $35,400 in funding.

Submitted Regional Investment Plans are assessed against investment criteria set by the Waste Authority. The assessment group comprises representatives from the Waste Authority, Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA), local governments and the Department of Environment and Conservation.

To date, 20 Regional Investment Plans have been submitted to DEC with a total value of around $2.3m. Some of the many varied local government projects include major plant purchases, regional infrastructure, e-waste collection programs, education strategies, waste audits and the employment of waste staff.

Regional Funding Program

The Regional Funding Program for Local Government has been approved by the Waste Authority for delivery as a pilot funding program for local governments that work in groups of two or more and that have completed Strategic Waste Management Plans. It is intended that the pilot program will operate until December 2009.

Regional Groups have been able to participate in the pilot of the Regional Funding Program by submitting a Regional Investment Plan. Regional Investment Plans are designed to identify investment opportunities for the pilot phase of the Regional Funding Program, demonstrating how a regional group intends to address:

regional priorities, identified within your Strategic Waste Management Plans; and
the Waste Authority investment criteria.

Regional Investment Plans are required to provide project briefs for the all activities funded by the Waste Authority during the pilot phase of the program (December 2008 to December 2009).

The following documents have been provided to all regional groups who registered their intent to be involved in the pilot phase of the RFP by the 17th of October 2008. These documents include;

Regional Funding Program Fact Sheet to provide background information on the program
Regional Investment Plan template for regional groups to fill in to be able to access funds through the RFP.
Regional Investment Plan Guidelines to provide regional groups with the necessary information to complete the Regional Investment Plan.
Regional Investment Plan Example, has been provided to give regional groups a fictitious example of a Regional Investment Plan.
Waste Authority Investment Criteria to guide the development of Regional Investment Plans by allowing them to know what the Waste Authority will and won’t invest in.

In 2009, the Waste Authority identified its wish to understand the value of the Zero Waste Development Scheme and Regional Funding Program Pilot for Local Governments.

Through the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) the Waste Authority has engaged the consultant GHD to undertake an independent review of the program. GHD are seeking information from Local Governments and other stakeholders to identify any improvements to be made for the programs, recognise measurable outcomes and gain first-hand feedback from Local Governments of the value of the programs.

The review will be presented to the April meeting of the Waste Authority.

For further information on the Regional Funding Program please contact John Davis of DEC on 6467 5200.

Final Reports

The final reports for the Regional Funding Program are submitted to the Waste Authority after the completion of the project identified in the Strategic Waste Management Plan (SWMP). Including a short summary of funding, the use of the funds and whether continual investment for this purpose would be viable and beneficial.

Below are final reports completed for the Regional Funding Program investment projects.

Final Report: Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) - Steel Extraction Trial at Tip Face.
In response top Action B10.1 Remove Steel from Waste from EMRC’s Strategic Waste Management Plan December 2008 – On 9th November 2009 an excavator with a magnet was employed on site for a cost.
Published: 2010-03-08

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