For the past 25 years, there’s been a team working their way through the rubbish across the New England and North West region.

Now, before you start thinking about the Wombles of Wimbledon Common, we need to be clear that the team at Northern Inland Regional Waste (NIRW) are not running about picking up after us, but rather supporting our community and 12 local councils to see a brighter future.
 
Program Coordinator, Alison Leckie and Project Officer, Karen Weller, are both based in Tamworth and get out of bed each day to make a difference through teaching others about more sustainable choices and working towards a circular economy, which in turn will protect the environment for future generations.

Alison spends each day putting her environmental science degree into action and has provided strategic and operational leadership for NIRW for almost a decade. Karen uses her broad experience and talent in project management and administration to assist with the effective delivery of regional programs.

Having looked at a lot of garbage for decades, NIRW has a mound of work on the go with community education and engagement programs around waste management and recycling, with each program focused on protecting human health and the environment, as well as saving valuable resources from landfill.

Alison said there were lots of benefits to working at DPARTMNT, including aligned values of “Cultivate, Curiosity, Culture and Community” as well as the office set up including fast and reliable internet, printing, secure 24/7 access, and of course, the coffee machine!

What else do they love about DPARTMNT? “The unique culture, values and friendly, welcoming environment. The positive and professional place with good office comradery is certainly a bonus. Additionally, the location is perfect in the CBD with parking at the door and all day parking just a short walk away. The modern layout of the space and sparkling clean facilities was also very appealing.”

For Alison and Karen, DPARTMNT offers greater interaction and collaboration with other businesses and organisations. It feels safer and more engaging than a traditional office environment, with both light-hearted office banter and sharing of expertise and knowledge to assist others.

They’re also happy with the green approach at DPARTMNT, including the office pot plants according to Alison.

“Coworking allows for more efficient and effective use of resources. Desk space is well utilised and meeting rooms are effectively managed. There is no surplus of printers or huge stashes of office supplies. Motion sensor lights and room-controlled air conditioning saves energy resources. DPARTMNT I believe is leading the way with an easy and convenient source-separated waste management system, reducing waste to landfill and supporting resource recovery and recycling efforts.”

They’re proud to be a part of the DPARTMNT community and you can wave to Alison and Karen at the DPARTMNT ‘fishbowl’ - they’re very friendly and love to talk rubbish all day, every day!