Illegal Dumping Prevention

We have made changes to the grants based on stakeholder feedback and an evaluation of previous grants. Round 2 will be different to Round 1 in these ways: 

• Stream 1b is being introduced to help entities that need support to build a business case for their ongoing illegal dumping prevention activities.
• Stream 2 supports new grantees to test approaches (up to $60,000) in managing illegal dumping projects, with Stream 2 assessed separately to streams 3 and 4. 
• A two-step application process has been introduced into stream 3 and 4. This process is explained in greater detail below.
• The need to target specific hotspots will be removed (for streams 3 and 4) to allow for projects to include research, engagement and/or behaviour change.
• There will also be the option of taking up to 2 years to deliver these projects to enable retention of staff, better data collection and to improve the impact of project activities.
• A new stream with higher funding to support collaborative cross-tenure illegal dumping projects (Stream 4). Acknowledging that a collaborative project takes longer to set up and to deliver, the time allocated to this will be extended to up to 2 years.  

It is important to understand what the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program grants include in its scope, as well as what it does not include.

Before applying for any of the streams under the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program Round 2, please ensure you meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Applicants must be located in NSW and be one of the following:
  • a local council 
  • a grouping of councils such as a Joint Organisation or Regional Organisation of Councils, Regional Waste Group or
  • a state government public land manager. 
• Projects must be on publicly owned land, managed by a local council or a state government public land manager.
• Entities that are not councils or manage public can be involved as partners in projects, but funding under these grants cannot be used specifically for work on private land.

We aim to notify successful applicants within 2 months of the closing date. Successful applicants will need to send the following information before starting their project: 

• a project plan in a format supplied by the EPA
• a signed funding agreement
• an invoice for the first milestone payment.

See the details under each stream below for the grantee requirements.

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform. You will receive an acknowledgement of your application form after submission via SmartyGrants. If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, contact the Illegal Dumping Prevention team at illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au to ensure your application has been received. 

Grant applications will be assessed against the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines. Well thought-out, innovative and collaborative projects that have the potential to have the highest project impact will be prioritised in the selection process.

Entities such as councils and council groups can be the lead applicant in only one application per stream. If multiple applications are submitted by an entity, only the first application submitted will be assessed.

For state government public land managers with regional offices, one application per regional office will be accepted. 

Applications will be assessed by a technical review committee (TRC). The committee will assess potential performance based on an applicant’s ability to meet selection criteria.

The TRC will rank the eligible applications during the assessment process. The TRC then makes recommendations to the EPA. The EPA Chief Executive Officer will make final funding decisions. 

We encourage any unsuccessful applicants to request feedback and consider re-applying in future funding opportunities. 

All funding is 100% contestable

A detailed timeline of Round 2 is outlined below.

Key information

This stream provides funding either for establishing baseline data for dumping on publicly owned land OR for developing an illegal dumping business case.

The following entities are eligible:

• Individual local councils
• Groups of councils (Stream 1b only)
• State government public land managers

Funding of up to $20,000 is available per entity and must be completed within 12 months.

Applications close on Friday 5 April 2024.

Apply via SmartyGrants

Stream 1a (Establishment of Illegal Dumping Baseline) project requirements

This stream is for applicants who want to establish an illegal dumping baseline and develop a brief Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy for their LGA or area/region. The following rules apply:

• Clean up or disposal of illegal dumping will NOT be funded under this stream.
• For a council, the project must cover an entire LGA. Only single councils can apply, as it is important for each council to undertake their own data collection and develop their Illegal Dumping Strategy.
• Data collection is to run for 10-12 months and must target an entire jurisdiction (for example, a local government area if the applicant is a local council).
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months.
• Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA on media or other promotion of the project and acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA.
• Publicity materials (such as brochures, signage, advertising) produced for projects funded by the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program must be in line with EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping branding and style guides.
• Up to 20% of the project budget can be used for installing signage or developing education materials to improve public reporting of illegal dumping.
• Grantees will be required to create a brief Illegal Dumping Strategy as part of this project.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem and the need to capture baseline data (40% weighting)
• effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods for gathering high-quality illegal dumping data across the jurisdiction and use of RIDonline (30% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget and project value for money (30% weighting).

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be in 2 parts:

• Payment 1: 70% of grant funds will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Payment 2: 30% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final report including an illegal dumping prevention strategy and final financial report.

Stream 1b (Development of an illegal dumping business case) project requirements

This stream is for councils, groups of councils and state government public land managers that would like to develop a strong business case for sustained internal investment in illegal dumping prevention. We strongly encourage applicants with prior experience in running illegal dumping projects to consider this stream.  Funding of up to $10,000 per entity is available.

This stream is intended for entities with expertise in managing illegal dumping. They will need to demonstrate they have a baseline and understanding of their illegal dumping problem.

This stream will not cover clean-up or illegal dumping prevention activities.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem, its size and complexity (40% weighting)
• effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods of developing the business case (30% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget expenditure (30% weighting).

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be in 2 parts:

• Payment 1: 70% of grant funds will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Payment 2: 30% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory illegal dumping prevention business case.

Key information

This stream is an introductory grant for the following entities:

• individual councils
• groups of councils eg ROCs, JOs, Regional Waste Groups
• state government public land managers

Funding of up to $60,000 is available per project, which must be completed within 12 months.

For more information about Stream 2, please attend the applicant webinar or watch the recording.

If you would like to discuss your proposed project, contact the Illegal Dumping Prevention team at illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au to schedule a chat during the period 19–21 February 2024.

Applications close on 5 April 2024.

Apply via SmartyGrants

This stream is designed to promote knowledge building and support trials and pilots for entities with limited experience in running illegal dumping projects.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be able to provide illegal dumping baseline data for the past 12 months or longer, and
• have not received more than one grant over the last 3 rounds (Round 6 and 7 of Waste Less Recycle More, and Round 1 of Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy).

Project requirements

• Projects must include prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping (i.e. they use more than one of the approaches listed in the Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy 2022- 2027).
• Applicants must provide baseline data on the illegal dumping problem within their jurisdiction (for example, within a local government area if the applicant is a local council). If there is no baseline data, please see Stream 1a Establishing illegal dumping baseline data.
• No more than three hotspot areas can be targeted per project.
• Spending on clean-up and disposal must not exceed 50% of total grant funding.
• Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA regarding any media or other promotion of the project. They must acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA. Any publicity materials (such as brochures, signage, advertising, social media posts) produced for projects funded by the grant must be in line with EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping (RID) branding and style guides.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months. 
• If any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting)
• effectiveness of proposed approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area, their probable extent and longevity of impact, extent of collaboration with appropriate partners and stakeholders (30% weighting)
• probable longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting)
• robustness of project evaluation method (10% weighting).

Application process

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in 3 parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress report, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.

Key information

This stream is for major illegal dumping projects (bushland or kerbside) for the following entities:

• Individual councils and individual council groups eg ROCs, JOs, Regional Waste Groups
  • Applicants must have baseline data of the illegal dumping problem within the LGA, either in RIDonline or an alternative
• State government public land managers
  • Applicants must have baseline data of the illegal dumping problem in the project area

Funding of up to $120,000 per entity is available for projects to be completed within 24 months.

For more information about Stream 3, please attend the applicant webinar or watch the recording.

A brief Expression of Interest must be submitted by 7 March 2024 through SmartyGrants.

Apply via SmartyGrants

Project requirements

• Projects must include strategic prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping, meaning they incorporate more than one approach to illegal dumping outlined in the NSW Illegal Dumping Strategy 2022-2027.
• Projects must be planned to run either for 12 months or 24 months.
• Applicants must provide baseline data of the illegal dumping problem within their jurisdiction (for example, within a local government area if the applicant is a local council). If there is no baseline data, please see Stream 1a Establishing illegal dumping baseline data.
• Spending on clean-up and disposal must not exceed 50% of total grant funding.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA regarding media or other promotion of the project. They must acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA. Any publicity materials (such as brochures, signage, advertising, social media posts) produced for projects funded by the grant must be in line with EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping (RID) branding and style guides.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months. 
• Applicants should describe how the project relates to:
  • the entity’s illegal dumping strategy (if there is one in place). 
  • any similar illegal dumping prevention projects/activities managed by the same or related entity.
• If any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting)
• effectiveness of proposed approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area; their probable extent and longevity of impact; extent of collaboration with appropriate partners and stakeholders; extent of integration with RID squad/program (where applicable) (30% weighting)
• probable longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting)
• robustness of project evaluation method (10% weighting). 

Application process

A brief Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted using the SmartyGrants platform. The EPA will contact you after you have submitted your EOI and will arrange a meeting during the period 11 – 21 March 2024. In this meeting, you can discuss your proposal and ask questions about the grants. After the meeting, you will be invited to complete a full application.

Initial EOI is due by 7 March 2024, and the full application is due by 12 April 2024.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in three parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.

Key information

This is a new grant stream to run a collaborative project addressing illegal dumping across multiple land tenures for groups of organisations (including local councils, groupings of councils and state government public land managers).

Funding of up to $200,000 per group is available for projects to be completed within 24 months.

Project requirements

• Applications with a mix of state and local government entities will be viewed favourably, but this is not essential.
• Projects must include strategic prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping, meaning they incorporate more than one approach to illegal dumping outlined in the NSW Illegal Dumping Strategy 2022-2027.
• Projects do not need to be focused on specific hotspots – they can be engagement or communications across a region.
• Supporting letters from project partners must be attached.
• A project steering group will need to be formed if your application is successful. It will need to be made up of suitably qualified representatives of the partner organisations, including the organisation/s managing public land on which proposed projects are to be located. Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Projects must be planned to run either for 12 months or 24 months.
• All partners in the application must have baseline data.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project and ensure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months.
• Partners can include entities that do not manage public land such as community groups, Local Aboriginal Land Councils or charities, but the purpose of their participation must be to prevent dumping on public land.
• Projects must not involve spending more than 50% of the grant funding on clean up and disposal of illegal dumped materials.
• if any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting)
• effectiveness of proposed collaborative approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area; their probable extent and longevity of impact; extent of integration with RID squad/program (where applicable) (30% weighting)
• probable longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting)
• robustness of project evaluation method (10% weighting).

Application process

A brief Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted using the SmartyGrants platform. We will contact you after you have submitted your EOI and will arrange a meeting during the period 2 September to 3 October 2024. In this meeting, you can discuss your proposal and ask questions about the grants. After the meeting, you will be invited to complete a full application.

Initial EOI is due by 30 August 2024, and the full application is due by 16 October 2024.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in 3 parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress report, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.

Recipients

The following 18 grants have been awarded to councils and public land managers around NSW to help them prevent and clean up illegal dumping. The total amount funded is just under $1.33 million, as part of Round 1 of the Illegal Dumping Prevention Grants, under the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041.

There were 7 rounds of the Illegal Dumping Clean-Up and Prevention Program Grants under Waste Less Recycle More funding.

See previous grant recipients.