News

Students at Daramalan College are putting their rubbish to good use. They, along with the Mantra Macarthur Hotel, Crowne Plaza and the Gunghalin Lakes Golf Club, have entered into a community partnership with the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn (Vinnies) through the Container Deposit Scheme (ACT CDS).

All three will generously donate all funds raised by collecting bottles and other recyclable containers on site directly to Vinnies to help the vulnerable in our community. For each empty beverage container, the 10-cent refund will go straight to Vinnies.

“Ten cents doesn’t sound like much, but by combining even the smallest contributions, we can raise enough money to provide real help to people in need,” said Patrick McKenna, Director of Compliance & Governance at the St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn.

“We are thrilled that Daramalan College, Mantra MacArthur Hotel and Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club have decided to support Vinnies via the ACT Container Deposit Scheme. We hope that other organisations including schools, hotels and clubs will also decide to follow their example. It is an easy way to support the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society while also helping to protect the environment”, said Mr McKenna.

Vinnies was one of our first partners in the ACT Container Deposit Scheme which started on 30 June this year. To date, over 640,000 containers have been returned via Express at the three Vinnies return sites. A total of 34,000 containers were donated to Vinnies resulting in a total value of $3,400 of vital additional funds to help people in need.

In addition to helping generate additional funds for the Society, Vinnies plans to set up a social enterprise that will create employment opportunities for residents at Oaks Estate through the Container Deposit Scheme.

We here at the ACT Container Deposit Scheme would enthusiastically welcome any other schools or businesses who would like to both contribute to a charitable cause and help the environment at the same time.

If your school or business would like to be involved in this excellent initiative, please contact us.

Great for the environment, great for the community, great for you.