Charity’s 240-litre helping hands
Eight 240-litre wheelie bins have been set up in businesses around Porirua to support the work of charity organisation Kiwi Community Assistance.
The bins were donated by Porirua City Council and distributed to businesses this year. They are being used as drop-off points for donations for the Tawa-based charity.
Phil Davies, chairman of Kiwi Community Assistance’s charitable trust, said the support had enabled the charity to collect and distribute more quality new and used goods to families in need around the area.
‘‘We operate on a shoestring budget, so any support that allows us to increase our capacity without increasing our expenses is good for us and the community organisations we support,’’ Davies said.
The bins have enabled the organisation to keep operation costs relatively low. Supporting businesses can collect more goods but with less frequent collections.
‘‘We are grateful for the support from the council in providing these bins, as it makes collection far easier for our volunteers.’’
Davies said one of the main benefits had been about spreading the word about what Kiwi Community Assistance did.
‘‘We don’t have a large volunteer base, so would struggle to cope with the response from a fullon advertising campaign.
‘‘The sort of organic growth this support provides allows us to grow in a controlled fashion, and the support is ongoing, meaning we are not reliant on regular advertising or publicity campaigns to keep the stock coming in.’’
PGG Wrightson was one of the Porirua businesses that received a bin and manager Adam Hughes said there had been a lot of support from the community.
‘‘We’ve been supporting them for about a year, but it has become more noticeable since having the larger bin,’’ Hughes said.
‘‘ It’s surprising what people drop off.’’
Donations have included clothing, toys and household appliances.
Porirua City Council’s zero waste co-ordinator Wendy Barry said the bins were provided to encourage residents to recycle.
‘‘Porirua charities will benefit from their donations. It’s a winwin for waste minimisation and for locals in need,’’ Barry said.
For several years, Trash Palace operated at Spicer Landfill, recycling household goods and employing users of mental health services in Porirua.
The Porirua business went into voluntary liquidation in March and closed in April partly because it lost its funding from the Capital & Coast District Health Board.
The council is talking to several operators about taking over the Trash Palace operation and the inorganic waste collection service.