From Cans to Community: Why our customers keep coming back
This blog post was researched by Good Sammy employee, Kim Holmes.
At Good Sammy’s Containers for Change, we meet many regular customers who care deeply about the environment and love being part of something that gives back to the community. I had the chance to talk to some of these customers and find out why they recycle, what they bring in, and what they think happens to the materials afterwards. I also asked each person to say what type of container they think we recycle the most. Keep reading to find out who was right. It might surprise you!
Lauren’s Story
Lauren says she likes coming here because it’s better for the environment and helps stop waste from going into landfill.
She has been recycling at Good Sammy for about a year and mostly brings in water bottles.
She thought glass was the most commonly recycled material.
Kathy’s Story
Kathy says the staff are friendly, and the location is easy to access.
She has been a customer for four years and mostly drops off beer bottles and cans.
She also guessed that glass is the most recycled item.
Tracy’s Story
Tracy likes that we are close to her home, that the team sorts quickly, and that we accept more container types than machines—including lids!
She has been coming here for four years and mostly brings in cans.
She thought the most recycled material was plastic bottles.
Johnno’s Story
Johnno said it’s close by and the staff are good.
He’s been coming to Good Sammy for three years, mostly bringing water bottles, cans, and stubbies.
He guessed plastic bottles were recycled the most.
Albert’s Story
Albert says it’s easy to drop off bottles and get the refund.
He’s been recycling with us for four years and mostly drops off beer bottles.
He thought glass was the most common recycling material.
Nicole’s Story
Nicole likes that she can stay in the car, is fundraising for charity, and loves that recycling keeps containers out of the rubbish.
She’s been coming here for two years and brings beer bottles and cool drink cans.
She guessed glass bottles and cans as the main material.
Matt’s Story
Matt says recycling is about change, money, and reducing landfill.
He’s been recycling for about a year and a half and mostly brings soft drink cans.
He thought plastic bottles were most recycled.
Kim’s Story
Kim says it’s a better process at Good Sammy’s.
She’s been bringing in containers for four years, including bottles, cans, and anything with a 10-cent label.
She guessed glass bottles were the main material we recycle.
Anonymous Story
One customer who didn’t want to be named said she likes to give back to the community and knows that recycling helps the planet.
She’s been coming for three years and mostly brings cans.
She guessed plastic bottles.
What happens to aluminium cans?
A lot of customers guessed different materials, but the most recycled material at Good Sammy is actually aluminium—about 40% of what we collect! Here’s what happens to aluminium cans after you drop them off:
- They are sorted at Good Sammy
- Cans are crushed and baled right here in WA
- The bales are sold and sent to overseas aluminium smelters, mostly in South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.
- There, they are cleaned, melted, and rolled into aluminium sheets
- The whole process takes approximately six weeks
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories, and for choosing to support Good Sammy through Containers for Change. Every eligible container you return gets you 10 cents and helps us earn 7 cents, which we put towards jobs and training for locals with disability.
