If ever the saying ’where there’ s muck there’s brass’ befits an organisation, it applies to Reverse Garbage - a 35 year old business that takes waste and creatively turns it back into useful everyday items.
There’s no end to the organisation’s ingenuity and inventiveness - bicycle tyres fashioned into belts, computer parts turned into funky jewellery and lampshades, recycled plastic moulded into stylish handbags that would not look out of place in a designer store and kiddies’ juice poppers made into neat little purses. These are just a few of hundreds of designs that allow artists to embellish their creativity on a contract basis with the organisation.
And when these products are discarded, the hope is that the cycle begins once more. In essence, Reverse Garbage has been making money out of other peoples’ waste for over 35 years.
To Narelle Mantle, General Manager, the waste they collect is not rubbish; “it’s a resource,” she says adamantly.
And it’s only now, much to her disbelief, that businesses, government and communities are starting to take the issue of waste seriously.
The value of this company lies in its belief system: It has flourished since its early establishment by a group of forward thinking teachers to an organisation that is often referred to in company annual reports and lists amongst its customer base names such as Coca Cola Amatil, Deagio, Mirvac, Stockland, GTC and so on.
GTC, for example, has embraced Reverse Garbage’s waste management ethos and expertise with the implementation of an environmental awareness program to train staff and teach customers about environmentally-friendly practices.
“We don’t just see the economic benefit ,” Narelle says. “We also consider the social and environmental benefits of what we do and achieve.”
According to Narelle, the company’s status as a not for profit (and one which is not accountable to shareholders) as an enterprise that takes risks not normally associated with a profit-driven business.
“While making a dollar is important to our survival, it’s not our primary goal,” she explains.
An example is the growing issue of e-waste, a compounding problem exacerbated by rapid technology replacing existing products and making them redundant and invariably destined for landfills.
To address this, Reverse Garbage is liaising with 20 Sydney Councils to organise collection days for local communities and businesses to deposit their e-waste at specific locations for the company to then pick up and recycle.
The company also operates a Computer Re-use Program (and seeking a government grant) which includes shipping computers to Sierra Leone. “Such programs create jobs and save e-waste from landfill,” Narelle said.
Contributing to the company’s exponential growth are the bread and butter arms of the business: education and consultancy.
The company distributes a range of environmental education books, reuse craft, art and science activity cards and templates for schools and general usage –many of these products and services available through its online shopping tool to its growing database of 10,000 plus customers including home renovators, businesses, schools and set designers.
Team building exercises such as ‘Product in a Box’ are designed for corporate training days teaching individuals to assemble waste and to inspire creativity.
The consultancy service is the most profitable delivering advice and project management to communities interested in minimising waste as well as sharing reuse information with the community, government and business.
The company can arrange for feasibility studies for community initiatives, market research and business planning for reuse enterprises, waste audits, waste clean-up strategies and the design, writing and publication of printed waste reduction resources.
Such initiatives have seen the company’s annual turnover double in the past four years.
To Narelle consumption is the disease. “Our culture of consumption and excess in the Western World has largely contributed to the enormous landfill problem. Our street scapes are visual nightmares when it comes to council pick up days, our local refuses are heaving under mounting waste.”
The cure she believes is in changing behaviours and reducing our need for goods.
As another truck load of mannequins arrives, Narelle consolidates her thoughts.
“My reason for being in this organisation is to create employment and a sense of community and to ultimately save the environment.”
In addition, her dream is to have Reverse Garbage seen as a Centre of Sustainable Excellence operating in every state and territory in Australia.
For more information visit www.reversegarbage.org.au