Landfill funded projects line up for awards

There were 179 applications for this year’s Biffawards, run by Severn Trent’s waste management wing and hosted by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts.

The Landfill Communities Fund – previously known as the Landfill Tax Credits – provides funding for community and environmental projects near waste sites, using cash collected by the landfill tax.

Now the cream of the crop of those projects are competing for an extra £7,000 towards their work.

The field has been narrowed to 19 projects including an urban farm, therapeutic garden and river restoration scheme.

The awards ceremony on October 10 will be held at the Northmoor Wildlife Trust’s new visitor centre in Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire and will be presented by the local MP, Ed Vaizey.

Martin Bettington, chairman of Biffaward, said: “We are delighted that Ed Vaizey can join us at our awards. This year’s Biffaward Awards, which coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Landfill Communities Fund, offer an important reminder on the value of the scheme and the excellent range of projects that have been supported.

“Competition for this year’s awards was the strongest yet, and to be shortlisted is a great achievement – the judges have a difficult task on their hands to decide the winners.”

Biffaward is one of just a handful of environmental awards accredited by the RSA, giving it an independent stamp of approval and allowing winning entrants to be put forward for the European Business Awards for the Environment, where they will compete with winners from across the continent.

Sam Bond