Cleaning up during the Illawarra Convoy event. Photos: Supplied.
Behind the wheel of the i98 Illawarra Convoy’s $2.5 million fundraising success lies a lesser-seen impact: the opportunities it creates for meaningful work and environmental action.
For not-for-profit social enterprise Green Connect, the event provided jobs for 31 Illawarra people overcoming barriers to employment while supporting waste management and education efforts at the family fun day.
This year’s annual Illawarra Convoy took place on 17 November, raising $2,502,020 for the Illawarra Community Foundation, which distributes the funds to charities and families in need.
It saw hundreds of motorbikes and trucks travelling the 80 km from Appin, down Mount Ousley to Shellharbour Airport for a family fun day with rides, stalls and entertainment.
However, the event doesn’t happen without an immense amount of community support.
For not-for-profit social enterprise Green Connect, the convoy creates more opportunities than first might appear.
Green Connect took charge of cleaning and waste management for the event, which attracted thousands of people, creating valuable employment opportunities for people facing barriers to work.
Green Connect Zero Waste coordinator Ranjith Kumar said it took a team of hardworking people to keep the family fun day clean and hygienic.
Ranjith said the Green Connect Zero Waste team provided litter picking, bin changes and waste education to attendees, helping them to choose the right bin and reduce their environmental footprint.
“It was crowded but people were doing the right thing and were very receptive to the waste educators,” he said.
Part of the team helping sort and separate bottles and cans after Illawarra Convoy.
As part of their commitment to reducing waste, the organisation hand separated waste, including bottles and cans and returned them to the Wollongong Return and Earn Depot, operated by Vinnies NSW.
Through the 10c refunds provided for bottles and cans, Green Connect raised $390.70 to support their work providing employment opportunities to people experiencing barriers to work, such as young people and former refugees.
Vinnies Return and Earn Depots area manager Richard O’Keefe said he was delighted with the result from the day’s efforts.
“The work that our colleagues at Green Connect do in the Illawarra is fantastic, and our small part in this process has been a privilege,” Richard said.
“Together, we managed to process over 3900 bottles and cans.
“Knowing these containers will be recycled, largely into new bottles, is great for the environment and the community.”
Richard said he was impressed to learn that the PET plastic bottles returned through Return and Earn were recycled at the Circular Plastics Australia plant in Albury.
“It’s another great regional success story for NSW,” he said.
As a return point operator, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW receives a handling fee for every container processed through the Wollongong Return and Earn Depot.
He said this had become an important revenue stream for Vinnies, with it reinvested into the community through its programs and services that supported the Illawarra community.
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