By Olivia Condous
Residents of Melton and surrounding suburbs are now able to give electrical goods a second life and reduce landfill, through a new initiative by the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Vinnies Shops, including the one in Melton, will now accept televisions, lamps, toasters, microwaves and more as part of the Green Sparks program designed to reduce E-Waste.
The charity organisation received $250,000 in funding for the program from Sustainability Victoria’s Recycling Victoria Communities Fund, which allowed them to train almost 200 Green Sparks volunteers to be able to perform electrical tests on donated goods in more than 100 stores across the state. .
Vinnies Shops now will also have dedicated battery disposal hubs for recycling, with the whole initiative designed to help reduce waste that goes to landfill.
Vinnies estimated that the new initiative will divert 100,000 electrical goods each year, equivalent to 100 tonnes of E-Waste landfill.
Vinnies Shops area support manager Scott Marsden said the new program had also attracted more volunteers to the organisation.
“We’ve been able to actually recruit more volunteers because electrical is a bit of a different beast and it presents a different interest in people,” he said.
The new initiative would also provide those who were struggling to buy new electrical goods for their home due to costs a chance to gain good quality items.
“It just helps those who just can’t afford to go out and buy a $400 TV, we’ve been able to recycle that TV and make sure people can get a good TV for a limited price,” Mr Marsden said.
Mr Marsden asked that those who planned to donate electrical goods did so responsibly and did not donate poor quality items.
“From an electrical point of view, we really need to make sure that if you wouldn’t give it to your family, probably don’t give it to us.”
