FAQs
Q. What is the point of the Landfill Communities Fund?
A. Its job is to give something back to communities surrounding landfill sites by providing funds for conservation, bio-diversity, and community projects. It encourages partnerships between landfill operators, communities, and the voluntary and public sectors.
Q. Can you provide funds for anything?
A. No, we can only provide funds for projects that meet the approved objects of the scheme and are registered with the scheme regulator, Entrust.
Q. What is an Environmental Body?
A. Only a registered Environmental Body can register a project with Entrust. Don’t worry however, as in most cases Viridor Credits will act as the Environmental Body for you.
Q. What happens when I apply for funding?
A. Your project will be assessed to ensure that it is compliant under the scheme.
You may be visited by a project officer or contacted by phone to discuss aspects of your project. As long as it is compliant it will be taken to the next local panel meeting. Once a decision to fund has been made you will be asked to enter into a legal agreement concerning use of the funds. As soon as the agreement is signed and the third party donation received the funds will then be in place for your project.
Q. What is third party funding?
A. When Viridor makes a donation to us it is only allowed to deduct 90 per cent of the donation from its Landfill Tax returns. You will be asked therefore to provide third party funding from an independent source to make up the balance. This source could be a local authority, a club, an individual or a charity, for instance.
Q. Will you fund projects retrospectively ?
A. No we will not fund any expenditure incurred or committed to prior to your project being notified of an award. Please ensure that you leave plenty of time to get your application in.
Q. Is there any way of finding out if my project is likely to be eligible for funding through Viridor Credits before I make a formal application?
A. Yes. Please call Viridor Credits on 01823 624 656
Q. Is there a limit to the size of grants that Viridor Credits makes?
A. Like most funding organisations, Viridor Credits, has limited funds to distribute. However we don’t mind how big or small the project is as long as it offers really good value for money. Our grants range from a few hundred pounds up to thousands
Q. Should I always apply to Viridor Credits first if I am in one of its areas?
A. No, find the local steering group or partner organisation from the list of local steering groups and apply direct to them using the contact details provided.
Q. When an application is successful, does Viridor Credits provide all the money needed?
A. Viridor Credits can provide up to 100 per cent of the money required in any instance. However, the landfill tax regulations only allow landfill operators to claim a tax credit of 90 per cent of the money they’ve given. We therefore ask for a 10 per cent contribution from an independent third party funder which might be a local authority, a club, an individual or a charity, for instance.
Q. Who pays landfill tax?
A. Waste disposal companies and other organisations that dispose of waste are required to pay the tax, which is now £21 a tonne, £24 a tonne from April and will be £35 a tonne by 2012. The rising costs of landfill disposal are passed on to waste producers, who may be companies, public sector bodies and local authorities or their contractors, who collect household refuse. Ultimately of course this tax is borne by you as either a consumer or council tax payer.
The aim is to encourage all of us to waste less and recycle more.
Q. How is the Landfill Communities Fund regulated?
A. An organisation called ENTRUST was set up in 1996 to regulate the original Landfill Tax Credits Scheme on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs. ENTRUST now oversees the distribution of funds under the LCF but it does not make grants, itself.
A. Viridor Credits makes grants to non-profit making organisations. They don't have to be charities, but any surplus they make has to be used to further the organisation's objectives and not shared out as dividends or other rewards. Organisations must not be controlled directly or indirectly by a local authority or a landfill operator registered for landfill tax.