The Canterbury Waste Joint Committee is responsible for advancing regional solid waste and hazardous waste minimisation in Canterbury.

The following Councils are represented on the Committee:

Note: Environment Canterbury staff provide ongoing advice relating to minimising hazardous wastes and substances.

Regional waste minimisation initiatives actioned by the Committee are in addition to member Councils' responsibilities as mandated by the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and as set out in each Councils' respective waste minimisation plan. The Committee's Constituting Agreement [PDF, 23 KB] and Regional Waste Agreement [PDF, 6.7 KB] govern its operations. Decisions are made by the elected members of the member Councils, based on written Staff Group reports.

For more than 12 years the Committee has funded a wide variety of waste minimisation projects [PDF, 7 KB] across the region. 

Projects supported by the Committee aim to link strategically with initiatives run by national organizations including WasteMINZ, Local Government NZ and the Ministry for the Environment.

Proposals invited

In August 2015 the Committee resolved to annually invite proposals from research organisations, businesses and other associations for suitable waste minimisation project proposals within the Canterbury region. Proposals assessed to be of sufficient potential value will be presented to the Committee. The total annual budget for all projects is $112,000.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Only waste minimisation projects with broad regional application in Canterbury will be considered. 
  • Two categories of proposed projects are sought:
    • Category 1 Smaller projects: $5,000 to $14,999 (excluding internal staff time) per year in funding applied for; and 
    • Category 2 Larger projects: $15,000 and up to $50,000 (excluding internal staff time) in funding applied for. 
  • Co-funding from other sources of a minimum of 40% of total project costs will be preferred. Where possible projects should demonstrate cross-sector support/participation.
  • Multi-year projects are preferred, however single year projects will be considered.
  • The applicant must be a legal entity.
  • Maximum length of proposals: 10 typed A4 pages following a set template [DOCX, 14 KB].

Assessment Criteria

  • Contribute towards one or more of: Waste avoidance; Reduction of waste to landfill; Recovery of resources.
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver the project and relevant track record of applicant. 
  • Measurability of outcomes.

Process Timeline

  • Emailed proposals received by 30 April.
  • Stage One evaluation: In April by the Staff Group will assess applications (on submitted material only) to shortlist proposals. 
  • Stage Two evaluation: In May/June shortlisted applicants will be invited to present projects to the Staff Group. Staff Group will select a final list of proposed projects for consideration by the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee.
  • In August the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee will consider and select successful projects. Applicants will be invited to attend and present their proposals.

Contact details

Electronic submission of proposals

Canterbury Waste Joint Committee Staff Group:

Ashburton District Council

Craig Goodwin

Christchurch City Council

Zed Potgieter

Kevin Crutchley

Hurunui District Council

Sally Cracknell

Kaikoura District Council

Rachel Vaughan

MacKenzie District Council

Angie Taylor

Selwyn District Council

Andrew Boyd

Timaru District Council

Ruth Clarke

Waimakariri District Council

Kitty Waghorn

Waimate District Council

Paul Roberts