As part of Sustainability Victoria’s recent Recycling Victoria Communities Funding grants, Vinnies Victoria’s Electrical Test & Tag Program (ETTP) was selected as a viable and worthy recipient and commenced in October 2021. This grant allows Vinnies Victoria to reduce the impact of e-waste in Victoria.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), e-waste is considered as one of the fastest growing types of waste. Vinnies Victoria has over 109 shops across the state, relying on donations for the charitable opportunity shops. With the high volume of donations typically received, not all of their shops were equipped to accept and re-sell electrical donations due to not having trained staff to safely test & tag these items.

Vinnies Victoria saw this as a priority and opportunity while understanding that if they are able to expand the practice of test & tagging there will be immense benefits to the community, environment and shop revenue. Vinnies Victoria are always seeking new initiatives to help reduce their environmental footprint. Some recent achievements have seen the organisation be certified as carbon neutral, under Climate Active, and they have rolled out solar panels on over 85 of its Victorian shops. The ETTP has been a welcomed addition to supporting Vinnies Victoria’ work in the circular economy.

ETTP aims to divert a further 40,000 electrical items away from landfill in Victoria by expanding its services to accept electrical donations in all shops. Trained test & taggers will ensure these donations have a fast-track to the shop floor, increasing both the skilled volunteer’s and paid workforce.

Education is one key element for the measurable success of ETTP. This has been supported by an 18-month marketing campaign schedule to increase recruitment of volunteers, promoting the type of electrical donation items that all shops are now accepting, and educating the public around what is acceptable. It also seeks to inform the public on the impact of e-waste and the best ways to dispose of broken or unsaleable items safely and in an environmentally sensitive and legal manner.

ETTP has informed, engaged and educated the public and customers of Vinnies shops to better manage e-Waste and extend product life through reuse while also minimising human health and environmental impacts resulting from e-Waste and its incorrect disposal.

The program has been managed by Vinnies Victoria Retail Support Office. A dedicated team, committed to its objectives. Through the organisations’ point of sale system (POS), QDOS, reporting and monitoring of progress has been and will be continuously recorded. Vinnies Victoria has already achieved its goal of saving 40,000 electrical items from landfill and has resulted in a 64% increase in monthly unit sales of electrical goods. The rollout of ETTP has also seen a 6.7% increase in average sell price revenue of electrical goods. This highlights an improvement in the quality of donated electrical items.

Overall, the program has served its community and will contribute to the ongoing work of Vinnies Victoria, positively impacting the organisation’s work in the circular economy and reduction of e-waste. It also seeks to be the preferred charity for the donation and resale of electrical items throughout Victoria.

For information about Vinnies Victoria, visit vinnies.org.au