A grant funding programme to help communities living within five miles of certain waste transfer stations or landfill sites take action for their local environment.

The scheme is currently closed to applications.

The Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme is currently closed to applications. A funding round for 24-25 is planned, but the date for opening is not yet confirmed. WCVA are currently working with Welsh Government to finalise this, and an update will be shared as soon as possible. In the meantime, to receive WCVA funding updates please sign up to WCVA’s funding mailing list

Further information can also be found in the downloads below.

Who and what will it fund?

The fund will be open to any organisation for projects focusing on one or more of the following themes:

Biodiversity – create resilient ecological networks for the benefit of a range of habitats and species:

• Improve conditions to help native species, pollinators and provide opportunities for new planting
• Restore, maintain and enhance natural habitats
• Engage and support participation and understanding to embed biodiversity

Waste minimisation and the diversion of waste from landfill – promote awareness and best practice to reduce the amount of waste produced:

• Encourage prevention, re-use, recovery and recycling of waste
• Reduce food waste and support initiatives such as composting
• Engage and support understanding to enable waste to be seen as a resource

Wider environmental enhancements – bring wider community benefit through improving quality of place:

• Create community green spaces and support green infrastructure
• Bring neglected and run-down areas back into community use
• Maintain or improve community facilities, for example community halls

Please use the eligibility area checker below to see whether your project is within five miles of an eligible waste transfer station or landfill site.

Eligibility area checker

Please use the map to see if you are within five miles of an eligible waste transfer station or landfill site.

The Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme will fund projects within five miles of certain waste transfer stations or landfill sites. Eligible sites are those that reported sending in excess of 2000 tonnes to landfill in the reporting year, eligible sites are subject to change between funding rounds and so it is advisable that you check the map just before you begin your application. The map will be updated ahead of a funding round opening; and will show eligible sites for that round.

Once you have confirmed your project is within one or more of these eligible sites read the scheme guidance document to check whether your project fits with the themes of the funding and other eligibility criteria.

Biodiversity projects that extend outside of the five-mile boundary will be considered as the scheme appreciates that habitats (such as rivers) do not recognise boundaries and that benefits may be felt in areas other than, or in addition to, the site in which project activity takes place. Applications submitted that fall into this category will be considered on a case by case basis for full or partial funding.

If your project does not fall within an eligible area, or if you are unsure whether your project qualifies under the theme criteria, please contact ldtgrants@wcva.cymru or your local County Voluntary Council for further guidance.

You can move the map around by clicking and dragging with your mouse. To zoom into your area – hold down the CTRL button on your keyboard and use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom. Areas which are eligible are covered by red with a pin in the centre of the eligible area.

The following resources can help you build on your project ideas for one of the scheme themes

Biodiversity

The biodiversity theme is all about the ‘conservation and promotion of a specific species or a specific habitat where it naturally occurs’. Several key resources help explain the current poor state of our biodiversity and the threats that this brings to the ‘ecosystem services’ that we depend on the natural environment for. 

• State of Nature (2019) report
• Natural Resources Wales’ ‘The State of Natural Resources Report 2020’
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ‘Ecosystems and Human Well-being’
• WWF’s ‘Living Planet Report’ 2020

For information on species in your local area and the best actions you can take to support them you can get advice from your Local Nature Partnership, contact your Local Environmental Records Centre (North, South, West, and Mid Wales), find your local Wildlife Trust or take a look at the Invest in Nature Cymru resources. 

Waste minimisation and the diversion of waste from landfill
This theme aims to ‘promote awareness and best practice to reduce the amount of waste produced’. This will help reduce the environmental and monetary costs associated with wasted resources and help bring about a circular economy where waste is viewed as a resource. For more information on the circular economy and what this means, you can visit the WRAP Cymru website.

For further information and inspiration visit:

• Love Food Hate Waste and Love Your Clothes –of waste minimisation projects 
• Fareshare Cymru and Repair Café – examples of circular economy ideas
• Keep Wales Tidy – waste research and policy information and examples of inspiring community action to tackle waste and litter at a local community level
• Fly Tipping Action Wales – resources and campaign ideas to tackle nuisance litter
• Marine Conservation Society – advice around beach cleans and marine litter and runs BeachWatch across the UK
• Cwmpas – provides support for social enterprises in Wales looking to trial reuse or upcycling initiatives

Wider environmental enhancements
This theme is a great opportunity to fund activities which bring wider community benefits through improving the quality of community facilities and green spaces. If you are thinking of putting together a project to promote or enhance green space or to improve your community building the following may be useful resources for ideas and research data:

• Wildlife Trusts Wales ‘Green Infrastructure: A Catalyst for Well-Being’ report
• The Land Trust ‘The Hidden Value of our Green Spaces’
• Carbon Trust webinar on Energy Efficiency
• Mind Cymru ‘ Go Green to Beat the Blues’ research
• Invest in Nature Cymru resources

Organisations like Keep Wales Tidy, Canal and River Trust, Groundwork Wales and Groundwork North Wales also have information and case studies providing ideas and inspiration.

Please contact ldtgrants@wcva.cymru or your local County Voluntary Council for further enquiries.