The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the fund will favour partnerships that handle large volumes of waste.
The 135 million will cover projects over the next two years and is being made available on a “challenge fund” basis on top of existing mainstream funding the government has already announced, 114 million for 2003-04 under its Waste Implementation Programme.
The fund was first launched in 2001, providing 140 million for 295 projects in two rounds over two years. The next instalments will see 90 million available in 2004-05 and 45 million in 2005-06 for either partnership projects or general projects.
Unlike the previous rounds of DEFRA funding, the government has said there will be no special emphasis on poor performing councils, and that it “will look to support projects that will help authorities move beyond their statutory performance standards”.
Commenting on today's announcement, environment minister Elliot Morley said: “People across England are demanding change on waste management and more sustainable waste management practices such as recycling. Today's announcement is government putting its money where its mouth is. It is a great opportunity for local authorities to respond to local demands for a high quality local service.”
The fund will be an important part of reaching the government's target of 25% household waste recycling by 2005-06 under its Waste Strategy 2000.
Partnership
The government said the fund will look to encourage partnership working by favouring authorities that work together to handle large volumes.
Local authorities in England will be able to apply for a maximum of 1.5 million unless working in partnerships that involve large volumes of waste, which will enable bids to be as high as 5 million.
Mr Morley said: “I am especially pleased that we have been able to develop a smart new approach for those authorities that are handling large volumes of waste. Local government has indicated that DEFRA need to do more than just provide funding to help deliver the move away from landfilling waste. We are rolling up our sleeves to work with those local authorities who want to help tackle the mountin of waste that we throw away.”
The partnership category will be open to authorities dealing with “significant quantities” of waste, which would appear to mean over 200,000 tonnes of household waste each year, based on 2001-02 data. Those ineligible for the partnership category will apply under the general projects category.
London
The government has indicated that London will be awarded its own portion of the fund, under the Capital Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund, as it did in the 2001 fund. DEFRA is to discuss the exact nature of the Capital's fund with London Waste Action, the Greater London Assembly and other stakeholders.
The new funding programme will work alongside DEFRA's Waste Implementation Programme local authority support unit, headed by John Enright, which will provide support to help councils deliver the best waste minimisation and recycling programmes (see letsrecycle.com story).
More information will be included in revised guidance that will appear on the DEFRA website later today.
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