BENDIGO Foodshare is no longer participating in the state\u2019s Container Deposit Scheme as a refund point, leaving only two depots operating in the town.<\/p>\n
Announced last week, chair of Bendigo Foodshare, Sue Clarke, said the closure was a sign of the potential success of the CDS.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly we were overwhelmed, and we hadn\u2019t expected that to be occurring so early,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Up to 50,000 containers were processed during the two months Bendigo Foodshare operated the over-the-counter depot from their warehouse in Long Gully.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does prove that the community really does want to recycle and part of the reason we took it on was in a way two-fold, one was to fund our food relief programs because we do rely very much on community donations and sponsorship and events,\u201d Ms Clarke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also met our other criteria which is impact on the environment, so to us it was a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collection bins provided to Bendigo Foodshare by CDS zone operator for Northern Victoria, Visy, would fill up within 40 minutes, after which volunteers would have to turn people away.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately for us that was not tenable,\u201d Ms Clarke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso the fact that Visy weren\u2019t able to pick up and return new containers within the window that we expected, which was at least twice a week, so it came to the point where it was not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Clarke said they would consider restarting the depot later this year with Visy, but at present weren\u2019t able to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the demand right across rural Victoria surprised them and they weren\u2019t able to return the containers, the empty containers [collection bins] that we needed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Depots receive a processing fee for each container recycled through their service and for Foodshare this revenue went towards funding their programs.<\/p>\n
Ms Clarke said people wanting to support Foodshare could nominate the organisation as recipient of the 10c per item refund fee when they recycle at other depots.<\/p>\n
Envirobank still runs two depots in the area, one in East Bendigo and one in Kangaroo Flat.<\/p>\n
Visy\u2019s general manager of Container Deposit Scheme, Tim O\u2019Donnell, said the company was continuing to work with local business and community groups to meet demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBendigo has seen some of the highest CDS refund rates across the state, returning over 3.7 million containers since November,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re experiencing higher than anticipated container return rates, as people become aware of the scheme and consume more beverages during the festive season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BENDIGO Foodshare is no longer participating in the state\u2019s Container Deposit Scheme as a refund point, leaving only two depots operating in the town. Announced last week, chair of Bendigo Foodshare, Sue Clarke, said the closure was a sign of the potential success of the CDS. \u201cHonestly we were overwhelmed, and we hadn\u2019t expected that […]<\/p>\n