Turning trash into treasure for the community

Belgravia Foundation has continued to work with community groups in several places in Australia to ‘tap into’ the surge in community enthusiasm to recycle containers, and earn a little cash in exchange for this environmentally friendly behaviour.

Belgravia Foundation has had magnificent support through the City of Liverpool for placement of a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) at Whitlam Leisure Centre, Liverpool. The monthly licence fee for placement of the RVM has been paid by TOMRA Collection Solutions Australia to Belgravia Foundation. 

Since January 2020, this fundraising approach has raised $48,232.61 (incl. GST). All of the money raised is reserved to support groups in the City of Liverpool to participate in leisure, sport, aquatics and fitness. Multiple programs supporting Muslim women, children, First Nations teenagers, people living with a disability, women and older adults and more have been delivered supported by these funds. Combined across these programs 1,515 participants have benefitted from being connected to leisure.

But like the ‘steak knives’ commercial there is more…. Over the time the RVM has been in operation since December 2019, it is estimated that more than 2million containers have been recycled.  Now, that’s good for the environment, and the community.

Similar ‘containers for cash’ schemes are in operation in South Australia and West Australia, but relying on other approaches such as collaborating with local Scouts groups, or agencies that collect and recycle containers and provide a donation to Belgravia Foundation.