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Welcome to the Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust (SIFT) – an independent not for profit trust benefiting the Canterbury region by encouraging waste minimisation initiatives.

SIFT supports the business case for transforming waste into sustainable projects, and aims to help individuals, businesses or organisations develop new or unique ways of recycling or reusing resources, or reducing materials that currently enter the waste stream.

Funding assistance is available for cost efficient and energy neutral sustainable project proposals which are both desirable, help our environment, and provide good social and cultural foundations for Canterbury communities. We are interested to hear about your project ideas.

Tailor made funding solutions are available in the form of grants, loans, equity in the business, or as a combination of these. To date a variety of enterprises have benefited from assistance from the fund in order to develop their sustainable projects. Examples of these projects include developing ways to reduce Construction & Demolition Waste, Glass Mountains, Waste Solvents, Plastics, Cardboard, and other materials:

• Feasibility study for a Construction and Demolition Recycling start up operation
• Utilising crushed, recycled glass as a ripening agent in vineyards and as a sand alternative on golf courses
• Developing ways to neutralise post-industrial solvent waste
• Recycling post-industrial wool waste and developing into thermal and acoustic natural building products.
• Investigating converting waste products into practical fuel resources
• Investigating recycling post industrial cardboard into animal bedding products
• Recycling and reusing a variety of post-industrial waste into educational school packs
  

A full and independent application process determines where funding is allocated on a case by case basis, and a thorough monitoring process is in place throughout. Please download the How to Apply - Information and Guidelines for the eligibility criteria, details of assistance provided and the SIFT application process. An application can also be downloaded from this page.

• Application Form PDF (34kb)