Geraldton council to consider continuing Bowerbird management past June 2023

The Geraldton council is set to consider continuing its management of the Bowerbird Reuse Shop, which has seen its costs cut in half, when the two-year trial expires in 2023. The City took over managing the Bowerbird (formerly known as the Meru Tip Shop) from MEEDAC (Midwest Employment and Economic Development Aboriginal Corporation) in August, 2021. According to the council, MEEDAC had been operating on a three-day-a-week basis and indicated in 2020 that it was struggling to make the service viable and would not be able to continue operating past their contracted term of October 2020. During this two-year period City officers explored opportunities to transfer management back to an external social enterprise but found that the capacity and financial risk was a key factor in the previous lack of interest in operating the Reuse Shop. Under the City’s management, the Bowerbird has served more than 21,110 customers, diverted more than 60,238 items from landfill and generated $196,000 in sales as of October 31. Council also heard the City has cut costs in half by running the operation internally. The external cost of running the Reuse shop and recycling was $156,000 in the 2020-21 financial year, while the net cost to the City was $75,000 in 2021-22. The Bowerbird is set to be expanded as part of the Meru Waste Disposal Facility redevelopment, which is predicted to increase sales and diversion even further. Geraldton councillors will vote on the matter next week.