YORWASTE, the North Yorkshire waste disposal company, has given £6.5m in grants to date this year, through the landfill tax scheme.

Steve Grieve, managing director of Yorwaste, said: "Landfill tax funding provides a vital cash injection to communities that have often struggled to get grants from elsewhere.

"It is a fantastic way of encouraging people to make improvements to benefit their communities."

Among the projects which have benefited are village halls, play areas, pond restorations, sporting facilities and landscaping schemes.