By Jonty Ralphsmith
Two members of the Boon Wurrung Land Council conducted a Smoking Ceremony on the morning of Friday 4 February to officially launch a waste diversion and sustainability project.
Major volunteers towards the Eastern Alliance for Waste Reduction and Sustainability and Kate Witherby, the waste and resource recovery officer from the Cardinia Shire Council, were in attendance.
Living Learning Pakenham was one of 24 organisations to gain funding through the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria Communities Fund, receiving almost $250,000.
The primary goal is to care for country and limit waste. There are four elements to the pilot program that runs until September 2023.
Composting hubs will be established to enable the public to drop in their food and garden scraps. It is also hoped that the improved facilities will increase visitation and awareness about the importance and cost-effectiveness of composting.
Repair café sessions will take place in a retro-fitted shipping container offering locals the opportunity to bring loved items of furniture, clothing and bicycles to a session where attendees will be shown how to rejuvenate and revitalise their assets, aiming to stem the throwaway culture.
The shipping container will move between the Cardinia Shire Council, City of Maroondah and Shire of Yarra Ranges annually, and will spend its first year in the Cardinia Shire Council, at the Pakenham Living and Learning Centre.
Other satellite repair cafes will be provided with necessary tools, enabling local hobbyists and DIYers to share their knowledge.
In collaboration with Simply Cups Australia, coffee cup drop-off points also will be installed at strategic indoor locations such as libraries and shopping centres. The specific locations of these will be confirmed soon.
The initiative enables the cups to be turned into practical items such as picnic benches or bollards.
The final part of the program is an educational program conducted in conjunction with Prime Sci, a partner of Swinburne University, run in schools to teach children about the importance of living sustainably.
All four elements will be up-and-running by March with more specific information to be released by the Gazette soon.
Uncle Mick Edwards and son Eric said ‘Wominjeka’, which translates to ‘welcome’, in leading the Smoking Ceremony, and appreciated the nurturing of nature that underpins the project.
“This is fantastic, it’s one of the best things in the last 12 months that I’ve been invited to – it’s nature feeding nature and we’ve got to leave it as a footprint for others to learn from,” Uncle Mick said.
“We’ve got to keep the land pristine as a custodian carer and grower of sustainable tucker.”
Project leader Max Godber was humbled by their attendance and said it was important that a Smoking Ceremony was conducted to respect First Nations people before anything new was introduced to the land.
“They’re clearing the land of evil spirits and it is their land, and we are mere temporary occupiers, so getting their welcome and endorsement will go a long way to ensure the project is done respectfully and in partnership with the Traditional Owners,” he said.
“The project is about caring for country, it’s about leaving no trace and trying to divert as much from landfill as possible because we just don’t have an endless number of places where we can dump our waste.
“Given the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation have been here for thousands of years, the least we can do is have their voice in the conversation.”
Mr Godber also plans to have Smoking Ceremonies hosted by the Wurundjeri people taking place in the Shire of Yarra Ranges and City of Maroondah.
Sustainability Victoria has also backed the project as it aligns with its vision of a circular economy built on the use of sustainable resources.
“In a circular economy, we get more value from resources by giving new life to goods and materials – preventing them from ever becoming waste,” Sustainability Victoria chief executive Claire Ferres Miles said.
“We can all think creatively to tackle waste in our own backyards and with local communities.”
Mr Godber also thanked the councils for their support in the development and delivery of the project.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Jeff Springfield endorsed the program.
“They’ve worked hard to garner government support for this important project, which will greatly benefit our local community and our planet, and we are looking forward to collaborating with them on it,” Cr Springfield said.
“The project is a positive way to engage our community in reducing waste, promoting collaboration and shared resources with neighbouring councils and tourism centres, and enabling better use of resources through community-led reuse and recycling initiatives.
“Having local people lead projects for community compost hubs and repair cafes for example, not only helps in reducing waste sent to landfill but also promotes a culture of repair, reuse, and recycling, which council fully supports.
Council further said that the project aligned with their waste and resource recovery strategy as it would provide accountability for the generation and disposal of waste.
“In addition to a letter of support for the grant, council has offered in-kind support, advice, and networking opportunities. We will also continue to promote these initiatives and encourage residents to engage with these community-led projects,” Cr Springfield said.
“We are delighted to see such strong collaboration between various organisations, community groups, and councils in the development of these initiatives.”
Mr Godber thanked the collaborating organisations: ECOSS, Bedford Park Community Garden, Pakenham Living & Learning Centre, Swinburne University of Technology (PrimeSCI!), Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave and Japarra House in Kilysth.
The next step at the Pakenham Community Garden is setting up a retrofitted shipping container with first nations art that endorses the reuse and repurposing of found and salvaged items.
The Gazette will publish more information when their website launches in the coming weeks.
