Kickstart your sustainability project with a Resource Recovery grant

Published on 03 March 2025

Got a great idea to cut waste but need funding to get it off the ground? This is your chance.

Our Resource Recovery Fund is now open, with $40,000 available to help local City groups and small businesses bring eco-friendly ideas to life. Applications close Monday 31 March.

Manager of Resource Recovery, Natasha Hickmott, says the fund is all about supporting projects that focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling.

“If you're working on an initiative that tackles waste - whether it's an education programme, a community event, a pilot project, or research - you could be eligible for a grant between $2,500 and $15,000. Your project must be based in Palmerston North City and support our city’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.”

Previous grant recipients have made a real impact. Last year, Environment Network Manawatū kept the Repair Café running, Mason Brothers Honey found ways to reuse plastic honeycombs, and Precycle NZ brought the ‘Sustainable is Attainable’ programme to Manawatū.

Mrs Hickmott says this fund is about empowering our community to take action and keep waste out of landfill.

“Palmerston North is dedicated to becoming an eco-city and we’re working towards increasing the amount of waste diverted from landfill by 50% by 2030, and your project could help us get there.”

This fund comes from the central Government’s annual support for our resource recovery services.