Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, supported 165 projects with over £120,000 in 2024 to improve biodiversity in their local environments and communities.
Since its launch in 2021, Veolia’s Sustainability Fund has successfully supported 425 projects with over £320,000 in funding. 2024 was the most successful year of the Fund to date, with 165 community initiatives receiving funding to make a positive and sustainable impact on their local environment.
In 2024, the Sustainability Fund was delivered in partnership with 28 Local Authorities across the UK where Veolia provides essential services including recycling and waste collections, waste treatment and street cleansing. The Fund also particularly welcomed applications from projects aiming to improve biodiversity.
Not-for-profit organisations, community groups, and individuals were asked to apply to the Sustainability Fund for a chance to receive up to £1,000 in funding. Examples of successful projects that are making a significant impact are:
- Haringey’s Friends of Hartington Park and Carbuncle Passage who are transforming Carbuncle Passage into a thriving biodiverse nature corridor.
- Sutton’s Ruskin Road Repair Cafe helps residents repair broken household appliances to save both money and valuable resources.
- Hammersmith & Fulham’s Ark Bentworth School is creating a wildlife garden with a small pond to encourage pupils to learn about their natural environment.
- Grovelands School in East Sussex extended their school’s farm by installing a new shed to keep outdoor learning equipment safe.
Chloe Chandler, Co-Chair and Project Lead for the Friends of Hartington Park and Carbuncle Passage said: “The Friends of Hartington Park and Carbuncle Passage are working to improve the Passage and highlight its potential as an ecological corridor, linking the wonderful green space of Tottenham Marshes to Tottenham High Road. Currently a hotspot for antisocial behaviour and flytipping, we want to encourage the residents of Tottenham to use Carbuncle Passage positively and enable them to access the natural benefits of the marshes.
“With Veolia’s support we have been able to invest in planters to create habitat stepping stones for wildlife, to increase the biodiversity and to beautify this concrete routeway.”
Pascal Hauret, Managing Director, Municipal at Veolia, said : “Since the launch of the Sustainability Fund, we have supported incredible projects across the UK in partnership with the Local Authorities where we deliver essential recycling and waste services.
“In 2024, our funding focus was biodiversity, which is under threat due to climate change. Projects that bolster biodiversity at a grassroots level can make a real difference to preserving the ecosystems upon which we all depend.
“We look forward to announcing the next round of funding very soon, and hope to continue to empower communities to build a more sustainable future through their inspiring and creative ideas.”
Applications will open again in June 2025.
