When John Flynn Retirement Village resident John Simpson first started collecting blister packs for his local pharmacy, he considered himself a “simple man with a simple plan”.
It all started early this year as he was lining up to get his prescriptions filled.
He noticed a box at the back of the pharmacy asking for discarded blister packs as part of a new recycling initiative.
“I thought ‘what a bloody good idea that is’ and went up and asked the pharmacist if I could take one of the boxes to the village,” he said.
Although they couldn’t spare one, John was determined to bring the initiative to his fellow residents at John Flynn in any way he could.
“If we set up a box at the village, I could empty it and take it to Chemist Warehouse myself,” he said.
John’s dedication to the cause has helped his fellow residents recycle 5,000 blister
packs so far, and his fellow residents are full of praise for this great initiative.
“All the residents come up and say ‘you’re doing a great job’, but I don’t do it for the praise.”
John Flynn isn’t the only village determined to cut down their reliance on landfill.
Nellie Melba has recycled 2,500 bottles and cans to the Victorian Government's bottle deposit scheme so far, donating all the funds earned to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
These efforts, especially from residents like John, highlight a growing concern from residents to contribute to a more sustainable future.
“I just want to do little things for the environment for my grandkids,” John said.
John's proactive approach has inspired residents and staff at John Flynn to join in and be more mindful about minimising their own waste.