COMMUNITY NEWS
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Tonnes Of Benefits From Charity Bin Trial More than 5.5 tonnes of donated clothing has been diverted from landfill in the first month of a pilot program to manage the region’s charity banks. The donated clothing, footwear, manchester, soft toys and accessories were collected in May from nine charity banks or bins across Geelong as a part of the Charity Clothing Donation Bank Management Pilot. And the environmental benefits are stacking up – 1,105,230 megalitres of water and 287,360 kilowatts of energy was saved by recycling the goods. The six-month pilot is a collaboration between Barwon Regional Waste Management Group, Southern Cross Recycling and GDP Industries to help solve the unsightly and expensive problem of charity bin dumping. The Group’s Chairman, John Burgess, said initial data was proving positive for the pilot program. “An anticipated outcome of the project is the development of a case study to assist charities across Australia with the location, signage and management of charity bins,” Mr Burgess said. “These preliminary results are pleasing and we are happy to note that no illegal dumping has reported outside the charity banks so far during the trial. We will be looking to build on these positive results in the remainder of the pilot and anticipate subsequently rolling the program out to other parts of the Barwon region.” Southern Cross Recycling’s Karl Barabas said the savings and benefits of charity banks were numerous. “Charity Clothing Donation Banks are a vital source of donations. They provide significant benefits to charities, local employment and of course divert this product from landfill,” he said. GDP Industries’ Eric Smith said that while the environmental benefits from the pilot were clear, it also provided a means of positive employment for people with a disability. The goods are collected from the charity banks by GDP Industries and sorted by Southern Cross Recycling for resale by charities. Charity banks have been placed at the Cotton On Group Head Office Geelong, Geelong Resource Recovery Centre, GDP Industries and Fenix Fitness Club in Belmont, John Coumans Motors and Lucky Phil’s Milk Bar and Minerva Post Office. Bins have also been recently installed at the Anglesea and Drysdale Resource Recovery Centres. Businesses looking to host a charity bank should contact Karl Barabas at Southern Cross Recycling on 9463 6411. BETTER MENTAL HEALTH CARE A locally developed online tool to improve the
Garry Haberfield and Matt Ryan make a donation at a charity bank outside Fenix Fitness, Belmont for the Charity Clothing Donation Bank Management Pilot.
coordination and delivery of mental health services is being introduced into GP surgeries across the Geelong, Surf Coast, Queenscliff and Colac-Otway regions. The Mental Health Navigation Tool, that can be used by GPs to identify the severity or type of a patient’s mental health episode, and be provided with a comprehensive list of local mental health services that might be suitable for referrals, was developed by Geelong-based Barwon Medicare Local. Referrals can cover a range of services, including adult, youth or child, perinatal, gambling, counselling, community care and residential or private services. The Mental Health Navigation Tool was showcased in Parliament House in Canberra last month, and also helps identify service gaps. It is intended over time to also cover diabetes services. Announcing the program rollout, Member for Corangamite, Darren Cheeseman said, “This is about delivering better, and faster, mental health referrals for local patients across our region. The tool is being rolled out to local GP’s and is a great step forward for Corangamite mental health care.”
service providers and strengthening the interface between public and private care. The Medicare Local also works with GP’s to provide free counselling services for young people in Geelong, and also leads the local Headspace Barwon program. MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO DELIVER MEALS ON WHEELS The City of Greater Geelong is currently appealing for more people to volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program. Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver meals to people in need of support throughout the municipality. Volunteers can choose to work on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis, for approximately two hours each time. Meals on Wheels centres are located in East Geelong, Belmont, Newtown, Corio, Ocean Grove and Drysdale. Other volunteer-run programs offered by the City of Greater Geelong include the Visitor Information Centres and the L2P learner driver program. L2P assist young learner drivers who are facing genuine barriers to obtain the required 120 hours supervised driving.
Member for Corio Richard Marles said mental health was a critical local issue, especially among older Australians.
Community Development portfolio holder Cr Kylie Fisher said the City of Greater Geelong appreciated and strongly supported volunteers in the community.
“We’re all getting older, and Geelong is no exception,” Mr Marles said. “By 2021, more than one quarter of Geelong residents will be over 65. And around one in three Australians will experience a mental health episode at some point in their lives.
“The City of Greater Geelong relies on the hard work and dedication of many volunteers to deliver some of our most important services,” she said. “The City is a big supporter of staff who take the time to volunteer in the community.
“This means there’s always more to be done in improving mental health care, and making sure anyone in need gets quickly and accurately referred to the most suitable provider. I welcome the introduction of this Navigation Tool, and I congratulate clinicians and staff who worked with the Barwon Medicare Local to make it a reality,” Mr Marles said.
“We have a policy that allows City of Greater Geelong staff who are already volunteering in their own time, to take one day off a year to undertake further volunteer work with a charitable Geelong organisation. This sends the message that we value volunteering and recognise the importance of supporting those who are willing to give up their time to help others.”
The Barwon Medicare Local was set up in 2010 with support from the Australian Government. It has a strong focus on addressing mental health service gaps, increasing collaboration between
To find out more information about the City’s many volunteering opportunities, contact Grant Hawkins, Volunteer Officer on 5272 4169.