b'01Advocating for people & plane tTRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT A CIRCULAR ECONOMYThrough providing stable employment andRRAs Return and Earn depot at Tuncurry Waste ongoing training and development opportunities,Management Centre diverted over 9.3 million02our team build experience and skills, and gain acontainers this FY, providing both environmental range of economic and social benefits.and social benefits to the MidCoast community. Training and development opportunities that includeReturn and Earn is one of Australias most successful licences and certifications, mentoring and toolbox talksenvironmental and waste reduction programs, achieving build workplace skills and readiness. These opportunitieslitter reduction of over 52% and recycling 8 billion also play a significant role in building confidence, armingcontainers in its first five years of operation. individuals with the tools they need to regain theirRRA General Manager Matt Curtis explains, Return independence and discover their strengths. and Earn places value on containers for consumers; it Lisa Berry, General Manager Community Services, hasencourages everyone to return their containers to earn seen this regularly at Homebase, Clients tell me theytheir refund, helping to ensure recyclable containers dont find our youth workers inspiring. The mentoring programend up in landfill or in our waterways.03helps them to grow self-confidence, resilience and helpsIn FY23, the containers processed at the Tuncurry Return them look forward to the potential of their future.and Earn Depot saved over 931 tonnes of waste from For the team at Soft Landing Hume, barriers to worklandfill. Thats the equivalent of over 100 garbage trucks include contact with the justice system. Site Managerfull of containers that may have otherwise ended up in Jason Heron says, A lot of our team members havelandfil. come from Corrective Services. Theyre over the moon toThis significant impact has been made possible through have the opportunity to get back into the workforce. Withthe collaborative efforts of RRA, with Tomra Cleanaway, a stable job and ongoing mentoring and training, I see theand the Exchange for Change. Together, we are actively team build their confidence and become more outgoing.advocating for, encouraging, and engaging with the Training helps them to open up and enables them tocommunity to foster positive behaviour changes to interact with the public in a confident way.increase participation in the program. For those with mental health issues, the change is even04greater.The support onsite, the positive work environmentReturn and Earn is a strong example of how the circular and the employee assistance program builds resilience,economy can impact positively on the environment. allowing them to relax and enjoy their work.All the plastic and glass containers returned through Improvements to wellbeing and confidence are shared byReturn and Earn are recycled in NSW. In fact, theyre the Resource Recovery Australia (RRA) team, who benefitrecycled into new containers in Sydney and Albury and from customer service training and ongoing mentoring.supplied to the local market, says Matt.Jordy Connor, Depot Hand at RRA Toowoomba says, This means great outcomes for the environment Training has helped me build my confidence to engagebecause recycled glass uses 60% less energy to make with customers and team members not only on athan new glass. It also means more green jobs in NSW. professional level but also on a personal level. .For RRA and the MidCoast community, the Tuncurry Return Jordy says, My role with RRA has changed my life. . and Earn Depot also has far-reaching social benefits.05The depot creates 2.5 FTE positions each year as well Community Resources chooses to invest heavilyas training and development opportunities, including in training and mentoring, seeing the inherentthe chance to build customer service skills, community value and the social benefits gained for oureducation and plant and equipment operation skills.people. It is this attention to training that reallyGreat Lakes Womens Shelter is just one of the local makes the difference to achieving our socialcharities which benefits from the program. The Forster-outcomes. Training and development play abased refuge for women and children has been pivotal role in enhancing employment skills,participating in Return and Earn since the beginning and bolstering individuals self-confidence, andhas raised over $70,000 to date. nurturing the potential leaders of tomorrowIn FY23, over 85,000 containers were donated 05 within our organisation.directly to charities and community groups at05Across Community Resources, our teamthe Tuncurry Return and Earn Depot.06completed 13,400 training and development Captionopportunities in FY23. Clockwise from top: Jason Heron and Juanito Marzan Soft Landing ACT (photo supplied by the ACT Government), Jordy Connor RRAPAGE 51Toowoomba, Homebase Youth Services - Ngarramba Indigenous Homework Club, Liam Simon, RRA MidCoast Return and Earn DepotMAD MAD'