Good news from Good Sammy

Good Sammy is a proud Uniting Church agency in Western Australia. Since being founded in 1958, Good Sammy’s purpose is to create employment opportunities for Western Australians with disability and believes that creating inclusive workplaces is the foundation for an inclusive society. At Good Sammy, people with disability are empowered to make their own choices so they can identify their goals, feel connected to their community, and be supported as they work towards independence and employment aspirations.

Good Sammy is best known for their 27 op shops, located from Albany to Geraldton. More than 50% of the workforce is made up of people with disability, and the organisation is active in providing other employment opportunities.

Through their recycling initiatives, almost 7 million kilos of used goods are recycled each year, and they are an authorised collection organisation for the Containers for Change program. Overall, this has a huge impact on reducing waste and caring for the environment.

Not only does recycling goods prevent materials going to landfill, but it also reduces the number of new goods which need to be manufactured. This means the need for energy, water, raw materials, and transport is reduced, and therefore greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Good Sammy is also responding to the Western Australian Synod’s request for agencies to work towards Net Zero by 2040. They have employed a part time Carbon and Energy Advisor and established their 2021/22 and 2022/23 carbon footprint.

A Net Zero Action Plan has now been developed based on tackling the highest carbon emitting sources.

As Good Sammy expands, they are actively pursuing strategies to reduce emissions. This includes recruiting supporters to assist in installing solar panels, and they plan to test electric vehicles in their truck fleet, building upon their existing use of e-bikes.

There is also some major work happening to enable the reuse operations to be recognised as official carbon credit units because of the materials and energy saved. If this work bears fruit, more funds will be available to help the organisation’s disability employment mission.

Good Sammy is a great believer in the “Circular Economy”, and as governments reinforce the requirement to reduce emissions, it will be in a great position to respond to increased demand for recycled goods, both locally and globally.

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