The following is being distributed at the request of the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board:

MMSB Expands Funding Program for Green Innovators

The Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) has expanded the criteria for the Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund, opening up the program to an increased number of innovators who are finding creative ways to reduce waste in Newfoundland and Labrador. Program expansion includes an increase in funding from a maximum of $10,000 to $15,000 per project, and the elimination of the research and development component from the project criteria which was resulting in proposals not meeting the funding criteria.

“As implementation of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy continues, the waste diversion industry in Newfoundland and Labrador will continue to grow creating new business and economic opportunities,” said the Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Environment and Conservation and Minister Responsible for the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board. “By supporting green innovators through the Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund, the province will consequently realize the economic and employment benefits associated with waste management.”

The Solid Waste Innovation Fund provides a $15,000 non-repayable contribution available to provincially owned and/or operated businesses, industry associations and non-profit organizations for the development of new or improved technologies, products, services, or processes that support the management of solid waste in Newfoundland and Labrador, at any stage of the waste management hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle, or recover). MMSB is accepting applications for 2012-13 until February 27, 2013.

“In the past waste was seen as disposable, but increasingly in Newfoundland and Labrador we are realizing it is a resource, and are creating business opportunities and recovering materials that would otherwise have been lost forever,” said Leigh Puddester, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the MMSB. “The expanded Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund increases our support for innovative waste management opportunities in processing, collecting and transporting materials, and helps local organizations and individuals explore the potential of their green business concept.”

Proponents will be assessed by a selection committee comprising representatives from the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association, Research and Development Corporation, National Research Council, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and the MMSB. Funding for this initiative comes from the Waste Management Trust Fund.

Since the launch of the Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund in 2009, MMSB has funded eight projects, dispersing over $77,000.

For more information about the Solid Waste Innovation Fund and to learn how to apply, visit www.mmsb.nl.ca .

The MMSB is a Crown agency that reports to the Minister of the Environment and Conservation. The MMSB supports modern waste management practices in the province, with a particular focus on waste diversion, recycling and public education, in order to ensure a clean and healthy environment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

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2013 01 22             10:15 a.m.