PHOTO: Waste Management Team and project partners: Sarath Bhasi (compliance officer), Mark Kowper (plant operator), Sheralee Player (VERTO), Peter Stammer (Quambone Waste), Lynn Field (Nguumambiny Indigenous Corp), Aimee McMillan (Workforce Australia Regional Manager), Graeme Mundine (Administration & Recycling), Donna Norris (VERTO), Larie Rose (Administration Assistant), Lane Smith (Plant Supervisor), Janelle Whitehead (CSC), Glenn Hamilton (Administration & Recycling). Missing: Daniel Woodard (Plant Operator).
“It’s been an exciting twelve months,” said Janelle Whitehead, Manager Waste, Recycle & Employment for Coonamble Shire Council.
“There’s been lots of new initiatives and lots of new faces, it’s a real success story for local employment.”
Ms Whitehead welcomed representatives from partner organisations to the Coonamble Waste Management Facility on Monday 16 December to join with trainees and staff to celebrate their shared achievements for the year.
And it’s not just about rubbish.
“The program was developed to meet the employment needs of Coonamble Shire Council,” Ms Whitehead said.
“It was about putting a local and Aboriginal employment strategy in place to meet the shire’s needs.”
Ms Whitehead oversaw an ambitious program that saw local people recruited, trained and offered job opportunities in council and the wider community through the Wake Up Shake Up (WUSU) program.
Over 12 months 70 people successfully completed their training with a total of 39 people achieving employment.
Their training program covered white card, five-in-one plant operations, work safely at heights, enter and work in confined spaces, traffic control, Chemcert, asbestos handling, truck VOC, digital literacy, First Aid, and articulated haulage truck operations suited to quarry work.
Twenty one of those commenced with Coonamble Shire Council, beginning in waste management and some moving on to bolster the road crews, parks and gardens teams, water and sewerage, urban services and administration.
Three of those employees later moved on to self-employment and two ceased work due to health issues.
Others went on to take up positions with Qube, Graincorp, the Coonamble Post Office and other local businesses.
“The partnership between VERTO, Nguumambiny Corporation, and Coonamble Shire Council has demonstrated what can be achieved when organisations work together to create pathways to employment for local communities,” said VERTO’s CEO Ron Maxwell.
“The stories coming out of the WUSU Pre-Employment Program – of individuals finding jobs, gaining skills, and starting businesses – are what make this work so meaningful.
“It’s a joy to celebrate their achievements.
“The success of WUSU isn’t just about employment; it’s about strengthening the fabric of communities like Coonamble. It’s been amazing to see local individuals grow and thrive through this program.”
The training and employment was a key factor in council’s capacity to tackle their complex waste management challenges.
“The bottom line is keeping things out of landfill,” Ms Whitehead said.
“We’ve established two manned transfer stations in Gulargambone and Quambone.
“We’ve set up Return & Earn in Quambone and Coonamble, a new initiative that has been very well received, especially in Quambone.
“Our containers are exchanged every fortnight, with 20,000 bottles and cans in each.”
The team have also created a Reuse Shop on site at the Coonamble facility, which sells reclaimed items for $5 each.
The site also hosts stockpiles of metal, mattresses and tyres for on-selling and scrap concrete from construction sites which she hopes to crush and use to resurface roads around the waste facility.
“We estimate we’ve saved around 27 tonnes from going into landfill in the 12 months,” Ms Whitehead said.
The team also managed a trial of blue bulky waste bins which have spent time in Coonamble, Gulargambone and Quambone, allowing residents to remove furniture, white goods and other large items from their sheds and yards.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the people and the project,” Ms Whitehead said.
“It’s very important for Coonamble Shire and for the local community.
“Our GM Paul Gallagher and the previous council were behind this from day one, and the new council is also on board so ‘watch this space’,” she said.
The ‘to do’ list for 2025 includes a new weighbridge, a plant shed for equipment storage, improvements to the Reuse Shop, and the opening of the Community Recycling Centre.