The successful applicants of this year’s Resource Wise Community Fund, who each receive a share of $100,000, have been announced.

Six projects were awarded funding across various waste-reducing initiatives this year, including reuse workshops with local hospitality owners, repurposing building materials to build healthy homes, and creating high-end furniture from recycled plastics.

Tauranga City Council sustainability and waste manager Dan Smith says they are delighted with the range, calibre and innovation from all of the applicants, and we are looking forward to seeing the successful projects develop over the next year.

This year’s successful Resource Wise® Community Fund projects:

This is the sixth year the funding has been available for individuals and organisations in the Tauranga community.

The fund is paid for by the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Levy to encourage local waste reduction initiatives through the Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.

Matthew Watkins from One Earth Technologies says his company is thrilled to be working with Council to support waste reduction.

One Earth Technologies 3D print machine produces a range of products from recycled plastics (2023). Photo: Mathew Watkins Photography.

“We are delighted to receive support from Council’s Resource Wise® Community Fund. This will help us develop an in-house recycling system to make it easier for us to turn waste plastics into designer recycled furniture that is currently available for sale under our ‘Special Studio’ brand.

“If this pilot in-house recycling system proves successful, it could also be expanded to help address plastic waste in other areas of New Zealand."

Dan says he was impressed by One Earth Technologies’ ability to create something very desirable for customers from plastic waste – ultimately showing that more sustainable thinking can be good for business as well as our environment.

Eight projects were successful in last year’s Resource Wise Community Fund 2022 round, including House of Science.

House of Science circular economy Science kits (2022/23). Photo: Sandra Kirikiri Photography.

Since then, House of Science have created science resource kits used by more than 1000 primary and intermediate students, helping tamariki learn about the circular economy and the importance of the 6 ‘R’s of resource management – rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and repair.