The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is a tax credit scheme in England and Northern Ireland designed to compensate for the negative impacts of landfill sites on surrounding communities and the environment. The scheme serves as a mechanism for engaging Landfill Operators in improving the surrounding communities and areas affected by their operations.
Under the Scheme, Landfill Operators are required to allocate a portion of their Landfill Tax liability to not-for-profit organisations that award funding to community and environmental projects near landfill sites. The funds support various initiatives such as environmental conservation, improvements to community infrastructure, and recreational projects, all aimed at improving the quality of life and environment in areas adjacent to landfill sites.
Projects eligible for Landfill Communities Funding must be within 10 miles of a registered landfill site in England or Northern Ireland and align with specific objectives defined in the regulations. These are as follows:
- Object A - the reclamation, remediation or restoration of land which cannot currently be used.
- Object B - the prevention of potential for pollution or the remediation of the effects of the pollution.
- Object D - the provision, maintenance or improvement of a public park or another public amenity.
- Object DA - the conservation or promotion of biodiversity, and
- Object E- the restoration of a place of religious worship or of historic or architectural interest.
Please note that not all funders support all project types and may have additional requirements.
Detailed information on funders and project types is available on Entrust’s Funder Search page. Entrust also provides a number of introductory videos to the Fund on its website.
The GOV.UK website also has a list of registered landfill operators, which is regularly updated, although it’s not always easy to identify local sites on the spreadsheet. Free Maps Tools can be used to measure the direct distance (i.e. as the crow flies) between two postcodes.
To obtain funding, applicants typically approach one of the registered funding organisations, which may have additional eligibility criteria.
This funding body will then register the project with Entrust on behalf of the project applicant. To be clear, an organisation will only need to enrol with Entrust, or remain enrolled, if they are receiving funds directly from a Landfill Operator. All projects must be registered and approved by Entrust as an Environmental Body (EB) before any Landfill Communities Funding is spent.
For more information on the scheme, including finding funding, enrolling with Entrust, project registration, and accessing resources and guides, please visit the relevant sections the Entrust website detailed below.
- Finding Funding
- Enrolling as an Environmental Body (EB)
- Need Help?
- Registering a project
- Additional Resources and How To Guides
Organisations interested in the scheme who require more information or assistance can call Entrust’s Helpline on 01926 488 300 (Monday to Friday 9am – 4:30pm) where staff can help to explain the scheme, provide advice and guidance on the LCF and direct you to your next steps.
Further details about the Landfill Communities Fund can be found on the Entrust website.