MILANG ENVIRONMENT CENTRE—corner of Weeroona Drive and Jupiter Street Milang.
Ph:85370201 Email: milangenvironmentalcentre@gmail.com
OPEN: 10 AM – 4 PM WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY
Local recycling depot the Milang Environmental Centre is an independent, not-for-profit community service organisation that generously contributes to the community by providing donations and services to other organisations, projects and worthy causes.
MEC NEEDS YOU! MEC NEEDS YOU! MEC NEEDS YOU!
MEC needs to boost the current volunteer team. No special skills are required of MEC volunteers although anyone with experience in forklift and truck driving would be particularly welcomed to the team. According to long-term team leader Don Boyce, the most important quality needed to be a MEC volunteer is a “sense of humour”. When MCN asked Don Boyce what sort of things MEC volunteers are required to do regularly he laughed and said, “Make coffee, prepare tea and enjoy eating fresh-baked cakes.”
MCN learnt that the typical tasks MEC volunteers perform include greeting residents as they arrive with recyclable items, counting the items, paying residents their deposit refunds, crushing, tallying and storing recyclables for transportation to “Super-Collection Depots” in Adelaide.
New cake arrives at MEC before another is finished
Chris Lambert a volunteer at MEC since 2016 also volunteers for CFS, Milang Vintage Machinery Club, Milang District Historical Society, Red Cross and the Milang Bowling Club. Chris told MCN, “We need a few more volunteers so that instead of doing a full 10 am to 4 pm shift, we can all reduce our hours. For example, I play golf Wednesday mornings so arrive at MEC an hour or so after opening time but it’s ok because everyone in the team co-operates to ensure a flexible schedule. Another volunteer helps mornings at the Community Garden and arrives at MEC around noon. The more volunteers we have the more flexibility we can enjoy.”
Geoff Dungey who began volunteering at MEC in 2016 described the MEC team as “a terrific bunch of selfless people who make MEC a fun experience and of course MEC contributor Lyla’s fresh cakes also help!”. The most recent volunteer, Sharon Parker told MCN that she thoroughly enjoys the time she spends at MEC and knows that what the recycling depot does for the community is a valuable and appreciated service. Peter Miller has been a MEC volunteer since late 2021 and told MCN he has benefited from MEC training programs. “For the first time in my life I can now count above the number of fingers I have and my skills with a wide broom improve each week. Before volunteering at MEC, I had no idea how to sweep.” Volunteer Michael Blanshard described how MEC welcomed him as a volunteer, “MEC provided a large screen TV so that I can watch the horse-racing between counting and crushing recyclables. Plus- we volunteers enjoy a BBQ each month.”
