Warwick Emanel PR: Press release

New fund targets public sector waste reduction
Environment minister backs £425,000 Resource Efficiency Fund

15 October 2008

Public sector organisations in Wales are being invited to apply for capital grants for equipment that will help them minimise solid waste and reduce costs.

The Welsh Assembly Government has set up a £425,000 Resource Efficiency Equipment Fund to provide equipment that will help public sector organisations reduce their use of resources, or to reuse or recycle them.

Welsh Assembly Government Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson, is urging all public bodies with plans to improve resource efficiency to apply to the grant to help them go forward. She said, “We have launched this fund to help public sector organisations become more resource efficient and to discover initiatives that can be replicated elsewhere. We hope to get people thinking about how they can make environmental improvements in the workplace, and that in the public sector as a whole there will be long-term savings that will far outweigh the cost of the fund.”

The initiative is part of the public sector waste minimisation campaign, managed by Envirowise, which is intended to promote greater environmental efficiency in public sector organisations large and small throughout Wales.

Envirowise public sector programme manager Ann Stevenson said, "The fund will make awards on a competitive basis, and applications will be scored according to a range of criteria which aim to ensure we support projects that will deliver the best environmental return on investment.  The priority is that applicants should aim to reduce, reuse and recycle resources. All applicants will have had to complete a waste production survey, which will give us useful information going forward. Information on the survey can be found at http://walespublicsector.envirowise.gov.uk/welcome-to-wales-public-sector-waste-production-survey/

“The fund is limited and so we will definitely be looking for value-for-money ideas, effectiveness, innovation and the scope that the awards can demonstrate the benefits of equipment that can be widely replicated throughout the public sector. There is no lower or upper limit of award, the focus being on the environmental return.”

Mrs Stevenson added that applications are restricted to public sector bodies and must be received by Monday 24th November 2008. Full details can be seen at: http://walespublicsector.envirowise.gov.uk/

In addition to this public sector initiative, Envirowise also helps businesses in Wales to become more sustainable in their use of resources.

END
Enquiries to Envirowise press office on 02920 555505
Notes to editor:
Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business practice.
Since 1994 Envirowise has helped UK businesses save over £1bn by enabling them to significantly reduce their environmental footprints.
Envirowise offers businesses of all sizes and sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice designed to genuinely improve their processes, profitability and competitiveness. Services include:
• The Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585794
• An encyclopaedic website (www.envirowise.gov.uk) of valuable and relevant information
• Over 200 events each year, from Product Design Workshops to major exhibitions