There is a good chance that when making your way around Geelong you have encountered one of the 60 donation bins managed by GDP Industries in partnership with Southern Cross Recycling (SCR). You may have even placed some of your preloved items in one.
Not just clothing
While these bins are synonymous with preloved clothing other items are accepted as well:
- Clothing (in all conditions) including shoes and accessories
- Manchester (in all conditions)
- Toys (not battery operated)
- Small household items (such as cutlery plastic cups and puzzles. Must be in good condition and no electrical items)
Emptying the bins
GDP senior supervisor Henry Barron tells us collecting the items from the bins is a seven - days - a - week job with the most used bins collected on a daily basis.
The items are sorted at GDP's North Geelong site by workers employed as part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. According to Barron
Unaccepted items like coat hangers books and battery - operated toys are removed and bedding material is separated and turned into rags for local businesses like mechanics.
The remaining items are packed into industrial sized bags and loaded into a shipping container headed for Malaysia.
The broader Southern Cross Recycling initiative which operates Australia - wide sees more than 40 million pieces of clothing rehomed every year.
Where does it go?
The items are initially sent to Southern Cross Recycling's partner sorting facility in Malaysia where they are sorted for reuse or recycling. Around 70 percent of the clothing that can be reused is distributed globally to communities in need of everyday essential items.
Around 15 percent is recycled into wiper rags and the remaining 15 percent is recycled into biofuels according to Southern Cross Recycling's website.
People in the process
Having real people with great attention to detail provides more than just a thorough sorting process. According to Barron
A lady rang up because she accidentally left some really valuable rings in a sock which she'd stuffed into a pair of shoes she donated. She came in and we found the rings. She was bawling when she found them. She was that happy; there were hugs all round!
There have been other special items found by the team at GDP as well Over Christmas people dropped off toys that were gift wrapped with little cards on them so you see some really lovely things too.
Ready to make a donation?
If you are thinking about using the bins keep in mind the following items are not accepted:
- Coat hangers
- Electrical or battery operated items
- Furniture items
- Whitegoods
- Magazines books CDs and DVDs
- Car seats for babies/toddlers
Lastly if the bins are full please don't leave donations on the ground nearby – try again another day or visit the hubfinder page on SCRs website to find nearby bins.
