The fund will open again in April 2025.
Important information for applicants:
Every year, we receive far more applications than we can fund. For this reason, we’ve taken the decision to limit applications to only organisations who have not successfully received funding in any of the previous years (2021-2023). This way, we hope to be able to give new projects a chance to succeed. If you have previously applied and been unsuccessful, you may still apply this year.
The Recycle for Greater Manchester Community Fund is a joint R4GM and SUEZ UK initiative, administered by the Greater Manchester Environment Fund, to support Greater Manchester community and voluntary sector groups.
Money that is raised via the ‘Renew’ shops and online market goes directly into the fund. Every year, £220,000 is available for projects that help to reduce waste and encourage reuse and recycling.
Since 2021, a total of £660,000 has been awarded to 66 local groups. These projects contribute towards preventing, reusing, or recycling household waste; promoting the sustainable use of waste and resources; and generating wider social benefits for the community of Greater Manchester.
For the full list of successful projects, visit the Greater Manchester Environment Fund website.
The fund is open from Monday, 8th April to Friday, 31st May 2024.
You can register and apply on the Greater Manchester Environment Fund website here.
The fund supports projects operating in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. As Wigan operates outside of the Greater Manchester waste disposal contract, projects that operate solely within Wigan are not eligible for funding.
A total of £220,000 grant funding is available for distribution in two grant pots:
Community grants for a maximum of £10,000 each. A total of £180,000 is available for projects operating within one district of Greater Manchester.
Regional grants for a maximum of £20,000 each. A total of £20,000 is available for projects operating within two or more districts of Greater Manchester.
Your project must focus on any one or more of the following activities:
Additionally, they must demonstrate wider outcomes such as:
Applications are welcome from organisations which are a:
We will consider each application on merit and will be judged by a panel made up of Recycle for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Environment Fund and Suez colleagues.
Securing between £2,000 and £20,000, each of the successful groups was recognised for their commitment to sustainability and delivering social value for their communities.
Anna Sukoon – Old to new saving the environment
This project focuses on recycling old clothes into durable bags and offering affordable clothing repairs. It aims to educate the public about textile waste and its environmental impact while promoting sustainable practices. Additionally, it empowers women, enhancing their confidence and mental health through skill-building activities.
Recycle-IT! – Community Recycling Hub: Expanding with Purpose
Recycle-IT! is expanding to a 3700 sq ft community hub within a shopping centre to enhance our computer recycling capabilities, increase local engagement, and provide more educational workshops on digital inclusion and sustainability, fostering a greater impact on community cohesion and environmental consciousness.
Become United – 10 awareness sessions + infographics across GM
Through 10 targeted awareness sessions for the BAME community and infographics in English, Arabic, Urdu, and Bangla, our project aims to promote sustainable waste management in Greater Manchester. By engaging diverse communities, we seek to foster environmental responsibility and inspire positive behaviour change.
Healthy Me Healthy Communities – Gorton Food Hub
A shared space for tackling root causes of poverty through low-cost food pantries, an emergency food bag service, referrals and signposting, and food courses and activities to help people manage their budget and food waste, improve their knowledge and skills to maintain a healthy diet, and improve employability.
Cracking Good Food – Kitchen Kit Call Out
We collect pre-loved cooking equipment and utensils destined for landfill from our “drop off bins” across GM donated by the public/businesses. This is then sanitised and safety assured and redistributed to focus on supporting people ‘setting up home’ after homelessness or crisis, supported by cooking classes and reducing food waste.
Manchester Cycling Academy CIC – Cycle Revival
Manchester Cycling Academy CIC, based in Moss Side operates The Bike Workshop. Cycle-Revival will run from the workshop and focus on giving new life to bicycles that end up in landfill and e-bikes with worn out batteries. Participants will experience community engagement, training, and educational and employment opportunities.
The Big Life Group – Wesley Community Furniture – Recycle, Revamp, Reuse
Part of the Big Life group and the Zion and Kath Locke Healthy Living centres, the newly renovated Wesley community furniture will run weekly upcycling and repair workshops, art groups, an exhibition, and events to highlight the importance of recycling, reusing, repairing, and upskilling the local community.
Groundwork Greater Manchester – Rag Revival
The project aims to recycle and repurpose unusable textile waste, upcycling these materials into crafts and creations using basic sewing skills taught to participants, improving sustainability, reducing carbon emissions and educating GM residents about the impact of textile overconsumption and how they can contribute to a more circular economy.
Local Food First CIC – Wildbrook Reviving Roots
Wildbrook Reviving Roots is a Community Composting project developing neighbourhood food and plant waste collection to make compost and provide learning opportunities in Fitton Hill, Oldham. The compost created will nourish the soil at the Wildbrook Community Growing Hub supplying fresh produce to Oldham Foodbank and a Community Vegbag.
Tameside Community Computers CIC – eWaste Recycle Oldham Community Innovation
We will collect unwanted digital devices, otherwise bound for landfill, through a well-promoted donations network spanning Oldham’s 12 Libraries, and repair or recycle those devices ready for gifting at Limehurst Library (which serves an area of high deprivation and digital exclusion) at a series of community engagement events and activities.
Deaf Rhinos – Deaf EcoConnect: Empowering Community Through Sustainable Practices
Our project aims to empower the deaf community in Greater Manchester through sustainable practices. We’ll establish a deaf-friendly recycling and reusing hub, offering sign language communication, workshops, and resources. By promoting waste reduction and recycling, we enhance community inclusion and environmental stewardship.
Stretford High School – SPARK – Stretford, Plastic Advocacy for Recycling and Knowledge
SPARK (Stretford Plastic Advocacy for Recycling and Knowledge) is a school-led initiative that advances plastics recycling education. It immerses students in sorting, collecting, shredding, and transforming plastic waste into new products. As a community hub, the school engages enthusiastic students to champion sustainability and drive community-wide environmental change.
Rochdale AFC Community Trust – Repurpose Rochdale
We will create a sustainable community initiative that collects old furniture and textiles, repurposing them for residents in need in Rochdale. This project aims to address local deprivation, enhance skills, and support low-income households by focusing on repairing and reusing amongst individuals with SEND and refugees.
Your Trust – Cycle Recycle Rochdale
We will save cycles from the tip, refurbish them before providing to local schools or selling them at discounted rate to our community, promoting re-use and preventing waste. We will also support primary school children and adults to clean, check and maintain their cycles, again promoting longevity and avoiding waste.
Rochdale Science Initiative C.I.C – Inspiring Communities for a Sustainable Future
The “Inspiring Communities for a Sustainable Future” project targets disadvantaged Muslim communities in Greater Manchester, offering workshops on innovative waste management. Focusing on food waste, paper, textiles, books, and toys, the project culminates in a celebration event for all communities with the Rochdale Science Extravaganza, promoting recycling, re-use, and sustainability.
Arts Let Loose CIC – Not so fantastic plastic
Workshops to educate and inspire our local community to recycle, reuse, reduce and prevent waste plus waste drop off point. Ongoing free creative workshops at our creative hub in Swinton; inter-generational, accessible and fun with a grand finale to showcase our amazing animal creations made from waste.
Emmaus Salford – House Clearances for Reuse and Waste Reduction
We are looking for funding to expand our house clearance project: repairing, reusing and recycling furniture, clothes, bikes and books. This project reduces waste, offers training and employment to homeless people, and supports our wider community by providing volunteering opportunities and low-cost essential items to those in need.
Recreate-U Community Interest Company – Re:use and Recycle by Recreate-U
Recreate-u will work with Poorlots Allotment to create a communal composting area, encourage people to grow food, and run a series of anti-waste events: -Clothes swap -Bike repair -Recycling awareness -Litter picks (separating recyclables) The project will improve knowledge of the benefits of composting, recycling, reusing materials and reducing waste.
Take Action Together MCR – Re:Play – Community and Creativity- Reimagined
Re:Play is an innovative initiative centred around the principles of reuse, recycling, and sustainable living. Our project promotes eco-consciousness through various creative workshops and methods. By transforming waste materials into new, purposeful creations, Re:play aims to inspire individuals to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle while fostering creativity and community engagement.
Hattersley Projects – Make, Do & Mend
We encourage families to do more with less money and resources through inclusive outdoor experiences in the heart of our social housing estate. We connect children with nature, model how to reduce the desire for non-natural toys, reuse household waste to create learning opportunities and recycle what remains playfully.
Flixton Primary School PTA – Children learning to love preloved
Our mission is educating families in Flixton to love the environment by wearing preloved uniforms and donating them back when too small, stopping uniforms going to landfill and reducing environmentally damaging production. Also collecting shoes, books and toys and redistributing items to new families, extending their use and reducing consumption.
