Waitrose & Partners will today launch a £1 million grant fund to give money to projects designed to reduce unnecessary plastic and tackle plastic pollution.
Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge will award money, over one year, to projects that can demonstrate an impact on plastic pollution now and in the future. The retailer is partnering with environmental charity Hubbub to support the chosen projects and measure the impact of the grants.
The £1 million fund has been raised from the sale of 5p carrier bags and grants will range from £150,000 to £300,000.
Applications for Plan Plastic are open until 24 February and will be welcomed from a range of organisations including charities, academic bodies, social enterprises, and schools and colleges, across the following project areas:
- Plastics in the community – projects encouraging and enabling plastic recycling and the circular economy linked to social impact, for example, promoting wellbeing in the community.
- Education – campaigns aimed at children and young people to raise awareness and change behaviour to reduce plastic pollution.
- Public behaviour change – projects inspiring and enabling new ways of shopping and consuming.
- Food, agriculture and farming – projects focusing on finding alternatives, reducing use, and increasing reuse of plastics in the food, agriculture and farming industries.
- Microplastics – projects aimed at identifying the impact, reducing the prevalence and preventing microplastic pollution.
Organisations can apply via the Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge website at www.planplasticfund.com.
An independent expert panel made up of representatives from academia, industry, non-governmental organisations, business and a senior Waitrose Partner, will convene in April to review the submissions. The chosen grantees will be announced in May 2019.
