Can-do program for communities

The statutory authority for waste management across the region has created a new community grants-assistance program to help communities develop individual solutions to waste and recycling issues important to them.

Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group has developed the small-scale Can Do Communities program.

Executive officer La Vergne Lehmann said the program was about building community capacity ‘through the prism’ of waste.

“Communities in our region do a fantastic job in getting things done and often only need some guidance or a small amount of funding to get started,” she said

After helping district ‘Boomerang Bags’ groups get started in 2017, Grampians Central West Waste and Resource Recovery Group recognised a need to help communities to get waste and recycling-related activities started.

The group has since helped communities with Love Food Hate Waste workshops, community gardens, litter-reduction programs, reducing plastic waste in the home and composting workshops.

“So far we have worked with community groups,” Ms Lehmann said. “These range from the Karen community at Nhill at their community garden with their compost, workshops on making natural household cleaners and cosmetics in Maryborough and Great Western and presenting at local farmers markets and events.”

Ms Lehmann said community groups could present their own ideas to the Grampians Central West organisation. She said help provided could

“Communities in our region do a fantastic job in getting things done and often only need some guidance or a small amount of funding to get started” – La Vergne Lehmann

range from organising and facilitating community meetings and promoting activities through to small grants to help obtain initial equipment.

“The one area we were able to assist the Boomerang Bags in was with the screen-printing costs for the logo,” she said.

“With almost everything else, from material to sewing machines and people’s time being donated, they did not require a lot, but we were more than happy to help them get started.”

Ms Lehmann said Boomerang Bag groups had been successful as supermarket chains stopped using free single-use plastic bags and with the State Government bringing in a statewide ban by the end of next year.

“The bags have been very welcome to many shoppers as they adjust to the need to remember their own bags,” she said.

“There is no shortage of ideas for communities to work on to become a Can Do Community.

“Community garage sales, fix-it cafes at Men’s Sheds, community composting, workshops and events that promote reduced or zero-waste outcomes are all ideas that can receive some assistance from the program.”

Community groups can access a prospectus and more information about the program online at https://recyclingrevolution.com.au/cando/.