By Derek Schlennstedt
Anyone who has moved house, gotten a new car or changed jobs probably has a couple of unwanted keys at home.
Keys are one of those items that tend to pile up, because most people are uncertain what to do with them once they have outlived their usefulness.
Since keys are made of metal, a highly recyclable item, they are easy to dispose of in an eco-friendly manner, but usually the challenge is mustering the energy to take a trip to the nearest recycling centre to dispose of a handful of items.
To address that problem, Emerald Community Recycling has come up with an easy alternative that’s good for the environment and raises money for the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.
“Many people have old keys and padlocks at home. They just hang around taking up space because they are not worth the effort of taking them to the metal recyclers,” said Emerald Community Recycling Convenor Peter Cook.
“They usually just sit in cupboards or draws so the idea is that they may as well be got rid of and recycled and turned into cash, which can then benefit organisations like the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.”
As keys and lock are considered scrap metal they cannot be recycled at the curbside.
Instead, throughout the month of November, hills residents will be able to drop off any old keys and padlocks that they no longer have use for at collection places located around the Dandenong Ranges.
Each collection place will have a plastic collection container where they can put their keys and padlocks.
Mr Cook said that in early December all the keys and padlocks will be collected, sorted, taken to the metal recyclers and cashed. All the money raised will then be donated to Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.
Collection places include Emerald Library, Emerald Stock Feed, Mitre 10 Emerald, Emerald Community House Office, Monbulk Community Hub, Selby Community House, and the Upwey Community Hub.
Peter said if anyone from the Yarra Valley was interested in donating or setting up a collection box they could contact him on pcook@wildcoast.net.au
