By Marcus Uhe
Melanie Bramble is changing the way people think about distributing their recyclable waste through her Terracycle Community Collection Hub in Clyde.
Ms. Bramble has eight collection bins in the front yard of her Pasadena Boulevard property, collecting a variety of products that are often not handled properly at waste management facilities.
Some of the items she collects include old toothpaste and toothbrushes (both electric and manual), hair care product packaging, empty coffee capsules, pet food packaging and old stationery. .
Simply drop your items in the corresponding bin so Mrs. Bramble can pack them up and send them to Terracycle for distribution to the corresponding recycling facility.
“I picked the (products) that I think go together,” Ms. Bramble said.
“Each of the programs has to be shipped separately, but I don’t have enough space to have bins for absolutely every one of the programs, so I sort of group them into ones that are similar or easy to separate in other products .
“I have always been passionate about recycling and everything related to it. My parents did home composting, so when I moved I made sure I could do home composting.
Ms Bramble’s advocacy has set up three collection points in Melbourne’s east – one at her parents’ home in Wantirna and one at her workplace in Aspendale Gardens.
She also volunteers for Lids4Kids, which reuses bottle caps from liquid products like soft drinks, water and milk bottles.
These lids, which are often left on bottles when they are disposed of in household waste, are often not detected by machines in recycling plants due to their size.
It’s all part of the education process for her as the community takes more notice of how we can help the environment.
“Dental products and learning that the council does not accept the majority of cleaning products in their recycling bin was new to me.
“I attended the (council’s) online recycling seminar and learned that the only products we are supposed to recycle in their home recycling bins are food and drink packaging, rather than products. chemicals and things like that.
“I don’t think the majority of people are aware of this – I just assumed that if there is a recycling sign it may go in the recycling bin, but they may not be recycled at our venue local recycling.”
Although she juggles the collection point with a full-time job and her two children, she finds it rewarding to know that she is making a positive contribution to the environment.
“I also have my workplace on board, so we have less waste at work. One of the girls (from work) also set up some things at home so their trash went from a normal bin size to a tiny one.
“I’ve even had a few people from Rosebud come up and say this is the closest lid or another collection point for them.”
“I feel good about making a difference and spreading the word.”
The collection point is located at 13 Pasadena Boulevard in Clyde.
To find out more about which products can and cannot be recycled at her collection point, go to Ms Bramble’s Facebook page at facebook.com/Clyde3978WantirnaSouth3152AspendaleGardens3195/