Among them is Graeme, who works full-time at the Soft Landing warehouse in Bellambi. He uses pliers and an angle-grinder to strip old mattresses down to their raw materials, which are then put to good use rather than going into landfill.
For Graeme, the job is not just about earning a wage and helping the environment – it represents a second chance at life after many years of struggling with a drinking problem, unemployment and isolation.
“Twenty years ago I was injured in an underground mining accident and broke several bones in my back,” he said. “My marriage broke up and I was left to raise two kids. Then I was caring for my dad, who had bowel cancer. When he passed away I hit the grog badly – I was drinking four litres of wine a day.”
“Due to the drinking, the way I was feeling about myself, I wouldn’t even collect my mail unless I was drunk. I was drinking myself to death…
“To improve my life I did a warehousing course at the Mission Australia warehouse and haven’t looked back since.”
In 2009, Graeme was offered a casual position within the mattress recycling project pilot, which tested the viability of the business model. This year he was offered a full-time traineeship in waste management at Soft Landing, and has been passing his knowledge onto his new colleagues.
The bed springs he removes from the mattresses go to scrap-metal recyclers. The foam is used as carpet underlay. The pulp fibre is used by a sporting goods manufacturer for punching bags, and the timber frames are used for timber mulch or donated to a men’s shed program where they are turned into toys. The coconut husk used in some mattresses is currently being tested as weed matting.
“There’s much more to this than just cutting mattresses up,” Graeme said. “It’s good to help people in the community who are down on their luck. It keeps you connected with different types of people and you realise that people aren’t all bad. You’re happy to come into work every day.
“I’ve got my life back,” he added. “Life is improving day by day. I’ll be here until retirement – if they can put up with me!”
This week, with the help of the Soft Landing team, Graeme regained his car licence. “I have dreamed about this day for years. I am very grateful. This is a big deal for me.”
The participants working at Soft Landing were selected as they had multiple barriers preventing them from entering the labour market. Ninety per cent of the trainees are Indigenous, three have disabilities and all are long-term unemployed. The program will also offer 20 work experience positions for job seekers looking to gain skills in asset maintenance or waste management.
Over three years, the Soft Landing program will divert 78,260 mattresses – or 2,739 semi-trailer loads – from landfill. It is one of several social enterprises being housed in the new Mission Australia Bellambi warehouse.
You can find out more about the project at www.softlanding.com.au or for the warehouse location visit this link
A new video has been released today featuring the program, which can be viewed below or at our Youtube channel
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