Items that can be reused are often relocated to different sites or storage. Items stored for reuse include chairs, beds, mattresses, wheelchairs, and more. These are often stored centrally at a mecwacare site in Malvern, where they can be quickly accessed should they be needed.
This initiative has saved countless items from going to landfill, which in turn saves money and means there will be less demand for and production of different items. We have continued to utilise equipment and items from other sites across our facility network, including air conditioners, boilers, stainless steel benchtops, cabinetry, and furniture.
Our opportunity shops in Ballan, Malvern East, Windsor, and Malvern also provide the chance for the organisation, as well as the public, to donate used goods and give them a second life. In the case of items that are not in a condition to be resold, we use the services of a recycling provider. There are also other creative ways that we recycle items, such as chipped or cracked mugs, ceramics, and crockery at the Ballan opportunity shop. These are donated to Ballarat Smash, where visitors pay to throw and destroy old items, and the company gifts mecwacare with vouchers in exchange to use as prizes for fundraising raffles or other competitions.
This page was adapted from our 2022-23 Annual Review.
