The Regional District of North Okanagan will invest more than $21,000 in eight projects that rethink and reduce waste in the community.
The RDNO’s Rethinking and Reducing Waste grant program was developed to support groups with the goal of encouraging residents to rethink consumption and eliminating unnecessary garbage to reduce waste.
“The grant was designed to encourage innovation and to support a wide variety of initiatives, and we are happy that we received multiple qualified applications,” Community Services general manager Mike Fox said.
After several months of accepting applications and evaluating projects, the RDNO’s Board of Directors chose the recipients Feb. 19, including:
- The City of Vernon: Compost Bin Pilot Project
- Crafting a Change: Making reusable bags from recycled fabrics
- Green Okanagan: Zero Waste Education Workshops
- Habitat for Humanity: Salvaging kitchen fixtures for reuse
- Okanagan Landing Elementary: Program to educate students on reducing garbage
- IPE: Waste Reduction Program
- Greater Vernon Museum & Archives: Green Initiative
- Repair Café Vernon
“We want to divert as much material as possible from ending up in our landfill and we can’t do it alone,” Fox said.
Applications for the 2021 grant program will become available later this year, but the RDNO is already encouraging individuals and organizations to put their thinking caps on as it is looking to support the development and implementation of programs, projects, events, processes, technologies, arts and culture displays and or methods that contribute to the reduction of waste generated in the North Okanagan region.
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