03/03/2005

Community waste fund to reduce landfill burden

Environment Minister Angela Smith has launched the new ‘Community Waste Innovation Fund’ which will fund sustainable waste management projects in the community and voluntary sector.

The fund replaces the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS) and its successor, the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme Interim Replacement Fund.

Ms Smith said: "The voluntary sector makes an invaluable contribution in the fight against waste in Northern Ireland.

“The overall objective of the Fund is to build upon the most successful elements of the LTCS, while strengthening the direct contribution of community and voluntary sector projects in achieving the targets within the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy."

The maximum grant available under the scheme is £150,000 per year.

Landfill tax was introduced on 1 October 1996 to encourage a shift to more environmentally sustainable methods of waste management. The tax is levied on licensed landfill site operators according to the weight of waste deposited at the site.

(MB/SP)

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