Camperdown Uniting Church is one of the many community groups, organisations and charities that are fundraising with Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme, CDS Vic.
The Uniting Church has been collecting bottles, cans and cartons as a part of an innovative approach to making a difference to those less fortunate. So far, through the 10c refunds collected on these eligible drink containers, the church has raised over $1,700 for the church’s Ministry Benevolent Fund.
Reverand Suzie Castle said the fund is usually collected through people dropping loose change into a plate at the door of the church. “Last year, at the end of the year, I hadn’t spent any of it and there was $200 in the fund”, she said. Last year these funds, plus some additional funds donated by Rev Castle, were put towards helping three local families get through Christmas.
“Most people need a little bit of help now and again from somewhere, and we use our Benevolent Fund to get across social issues that are going on for people”.
Rev Castle said the idea for using Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme for fundraising came from a member of the church last year following a conversation with Mr Colin Hayman. Now, there are three members from the Church who collect the bottles and cans for the fund, collecting them from the Lakes and Craters Holiday Park.
“I cannot tell you how hard they work – they’d be driving their car down a country road, and they’d stop and clean up the side of the road and pick up all of the cans and bottles.” Said Rev Castle. “They go to extraordinary lengths to achieve this – if I give somebody $100 for a night’s accommodation, that’s 1000 bottles someone has put through the machine. I think the impact of that is huge.”
Speaking on the impact the additional funds from these containers collections has had, Rev Castle remarked “It’s made a massive difference because it’s given us our freedom – there’s a freedom in not being restrained by money restraints to help other people.”
“To be able to say we can help more families, that’s just to liberating.”
CDS Vic in the Corangamite Shire
Speaking on the progress of the scheme in Camperdown and the wider Corangamite Shire, TOMRA Cleanaway Victorian General Manager Tony Catania said he was ‘delighted’ with the response to CDS Vic across the Shire, with close to $300,000 in refunds having already been returned to residents within the shire.
“We feel extremely privileged to be supporting these fantastic not-for-profit charity and social enterprise groups to raise often much-needed funds to help finance some of their goals and objectives” said Mr Catania.
“We’re delighted, in Camperdown, to be working with the likes of the Camperdown Uniting Church, Camperdown Little Athletics Club, and the Camperdown Theatre Company – all of whom are utilising our automated, conveniently located reverse vending machine in Manifold Street in Camperdown.”
Residents using the machine can receive a voucher to redeem at Camperdown Woolworths, receive their refund digitally via the CDS Vic West Zone app, or donate to a number of registered donation partners across Victoria.
This article originally appeared in the Camperdown Chronicle.
