The ease and convenience of Vinnies Bulk Container Deposit Centre at Unanderra has not only helped Wollongong families collect refunds for their recycling over Christmas but helped support many others.
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Wednesday was the biggest day on record for the Investigator Drive facility which has done roaring trade over Christmas and New Year.
Logistics manager Ben Edwards said on Wednesday 74,500 items were processed but every day has been busy at the large depot which has capacity to handle more.
Mr Edwards said it was easy as driving inside, putting recycling on the bench for his team of three paid staff and two volunteers to run through the machine. Their refund is then processed straight onto their card. “The money is in their account before they leave the driveway”.
It has also provided a big windfall for the work the charity does for families in need. A growing number of commercial customers are allowing Vinnies to get the handling fee plus the refund.
“We have the Novotel donating all their drinks from North Wollongong. We also have commercial arrangements with Flagstaff, Cleanaway and Remondis and processing for events,” he said.
“We just did the processing of all the drinks from the Corona SunSets Festival and the Yours & Owls Festival at Bulli as well for New Year.
“We have partnered up with the Catholic schools and a lot of the state schools as well as fundraising for the schools. It is also a great way for sporting clubs to raise funds”.
Vinnies executive officer Peter Quarmby said the depot was a fantastic boost for the work the charity does itself helping many people and families.
He is the project lead for the Vinnies NSW Container Deposit Scheme and said since the charity got involved in December 2017 it had processed more than 14 million containers from its our over-the-counter service at selected Vinnies shops and our bulk container deposit centres.
Unanderra was the second bulk container deposit centre to open in April 2018 and has already processed more than 4.5 million containers.
Which means it has helped the environment by diverting more than 16,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill. Which is the equivalent of 175 semi-trailer loads.
There are now four such depots in the state with a fifth one about to open in Wagga Wagga.
The Unanderra depot is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 3.30pm.
Many parents are bringing their children along as a fun way to see how the recycling works.
“We try and make it an experience and we are getting new people come in every day,” Mr Edwards said.
“Word is spreading like wildfire.”
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
