Young people in the South West District can now get funding to tackle environmental issues affecting their community, with the launch of a new scheme by the South West Community Development Council (CDC).

Young people aged between 17 and 35 can submit proposals to the CDC to address issues such as littering.

Each group can receive up to $10,000 to implement their ideas, from a total pool of $100,000 in the South West Youth ECo Challenge Fund.

The groups will also be able to tap on mentors, who are industry experts, to help them translate their ideas into reality.

The environmental projects will be implemented over a period of between six months and a year.

The fund was launched by South West District Mayor Amy Khor on Sunday morning at the South West District's annual environmental event, where residents also exchanged recyclables for groceries, such as rice and instant noodles.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was the guest-of-honour at the event.