A few months ago, ABC News Melbourne reported a story, shining a light on some of the work Good Cycles does in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.
Beginning in May 2022, the Caledonian food waste program, also known as the Garbage Butler program, was initiated with support by the City of Melbourne and Citywide, with the aim of reducing cafe food waste from landfill.
Renowned for its bustling cafe culture, Melbourne’s CBD is laden with cafes and eateries, with many occupying backstreets and laneways. In such highly trafficked areas, between the cities pedestrians and its busy streets, the e-bike and trailer are the perfect mode of service, able to weave through the tight route without creating the kind of obstruction a van or truck may if it were tasked to do the same role.
Each day the team operates, they depart from our City Services headquarters in North Melbourne, riding into the city, where they visit a number of participating cafes, collecting food waste into tubs and loading them on to our built-for-purpose trailers. Later, the food waste gets processed, averting tonnes of biodegradable waste from landfill into rich compost fertiliser.
Most excitingly, the Caledonian food waste program has recently been confirmed as a permanent program, shifting from its pilot phase, to be rolled out to service more cafes and eateries in Melbourne’s dining precincts.
Caledonian food waste collection employees work as part of Good Cycles’ Youth Employment Program. Good Cycles is proud to be a part of this innovative, sustainable solution that not only removes food waste from landfill, reduces noise, vehicle congestion and CO2 emissions used to collect waste, but does so in a way that incorporates our mission of helping young people in creating ‘Jobs for the Future’.
To read read more about our mission, on our Impact page.
Good Cycles wishes to acknowledge the support of the programs partners:
