The Dalby Rugby Union Club in Jimbour, Queensland, has been awarded brand new footballs and caps to recognise their ongoing commitment to the drumMUSTER program.
More than 141,700 empty agvet containers have been collected by the club, which offers the service on behalf of Western Downs Regional Council. This is the highest total by a community group in Australia.
“The Dalby Rugby Union Club was one of the first community groups established in Australia and has proven the most successful over a long period of time,” said drumMUSTER regional consultant Colin Hoey.
“They are great to work with and have a passion on and off the field to make a difference in the community,” he added.
Neil McVeigh, a Dalby grain and cotton grower believes its initiatives like drumMUSTER that make a club run.
“Because the money is going to a junior sporting club, people see it as being good and do it for the kids.”
The Dalby ‘Wheatmen’, as they are known, have over 300 registered junior, teenager and senior players from Under 6’s through to A Grade, and compete in the Darling Downs Competition.
The club enjoys tremendous support from Graham Stewart at Ed Stewart & Sons, a local reseller in Dalby.
Neil said the drumMUSTER program had also taught him the benefits of being careful with wastage.
“People are more aware of their environment and do the right thing. They also know there’s a more efficient way to use their chemicals,” he said.
“What we’re seeing now is that we’re cleaning them but also not wasting the last 100ml of chemical in the container.”
Since 1999, drumMUSTER has collected more than 24 million drums nationwide. This represents more than 29,000 tonnes of waste avoiding landfill and being recycled into new and useful things again, like plastic cable covers, wheelie bins and pipes.
The club receives drums on an ongoing basis. All containers presented at the collection must meet the program’s cleanliness standards. Containers must be free of any chemical residue.
For further information on the drumMUSTER program, call 1800 008 707.
Members of the Dalby Rugby Union Club ‘Under 11s’ team (from left): Hunter James, Charlie Bradley, William Gall, Todd Griffiths and Bennett Turner.