Eaglehawk Eco Recycle Shop Tour

The Eaglehawk Recycle Shop is a not for profit social enterprise and is governed by a voluntary Board of Management. It is not a Council operated business but Council provides the site for peppercorn rent as ERS reduces waste going to landfill and saves the Council and its ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Wages and operating costs are paid from sales so it is important that the enterprise is conducted like any other business gaining as much income as possible to pay for increased running costs. ERS has to purchase all its own vehicles, machinery and equipment. ERS started back in 1994 when a small group of unemployed people were given access to scavenge at the landfill to recover items that could be resold with the aim of creating employment for themselves through these sales. It has been very successful with great community support. The story is told in a publication Guide to starting a communty recycling ventureThe idea of ERS is to reduce waste to landfill while creating employment and providing cheap secondhand materials to the Greater Bendigo community. Last year over 9000 tonnes of reusable and recyclable products were diverted from landfill, this could have been higher had people sorted their load prior going to the landfill. There are Recycle Shops throughout Australia and an E-Book has been produced telling their stories CRNAEbookPDF.