Busy workers at new CDS depot

VICTORIA’S container deposit scheme, or CDS, is well underway and last week member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison, visited one of the program’s depots located in Canadian.

On the first day of operation, the site handled 30,000 containers and by day two, it saw a further 34,000.

“We were very pleased to see the uptake from the Victorian community on day one,” said James Dorney, CEO of TOMRA Cleanaway, the company which coordinates the Ballarat area of the CDS.

“We saw nearly 750,000 containers being returned on day one through the TOMRA Cleanaway network across the west zone.”

This depot is being run by in a partnership between TOMRA Cleanaway and McCallum Industries and Ms Addsion praised the operation.

“The take up rate has just been fantastic and it’s all because of our great partnerships with TOMRA Cleanaway so I thank TOMRA for choosing Ballarat and our local partnership with my very, very good friends at McCallum Industries,” she said.

“When there was talk there was going to be a partnership with McCallum, it made my heart sing because I know the great work you do and the jobs you create.”

CEO of McCallum Industries, Tyrone McCusky, said it was great to see organisations come together to create this initiative.

“This is such a great initiative, I can’t put into words how meaningful this is,” he said. “It’s started so well and we’ll employ between 12 and 15 people with a disability on this site.”