Green waste solution for Thursday Island
A Thursday Island company that has been providing a green waste solution for its community for almost three years has received a grant from Esparq Ventures to help address the growing need to dispose of green and household waste in a remote regions across the Torres Strait.
JK’s Bulk Bag and Trailer Hire Service has now added a second trailer to their service to expand business and and help manage the waste issues in the region and address inaccessibility to regular waste disposal.
On Thursday Island, local communities have been struggling to find ways to efficiently manage their green waste, particularly as they are not allowed to burn their own green waste and disposal requires transporting it to a designated waste facility. With car ownership already significantly lower on Thursday Island in comparison to mainland Queensland, finding an appropriate vehicle for proper green waste disposal is challenging.
Untreated green waste can post a significant risk to native ecosystems and introduce mosquito breeding habitats that can lead to dengue fever. When dumped into landfills, green waste can also break down and emit methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
JK’s Bulk Bag and Trailer Hire Service was created after the co-founders personally experienced the frustration and challenge of managing their own green waste.
“We were in a situation where we needed to clean our yard and had bulk bags full of green waste, but no ute or trailer to get it to the waste facility. Trying to source one was challenging, so the idea of the bulk bag hire was born,” founder Karen Keane said.
After launching the business, Karen and co-founder John found there was a particular need among the elderly and people with disability in their communities.
Expanding to meet community needs
For bulk bag services, community members can subscribe for regular pickups of green waste from yard cleaning, grass cutting, or rubbish clean-ups from personal or business activities.
The business has rebranded to JK’s Bulk Bag and Trailer Hire Service due to its new trailer hire service. In the near future, the business plans to expand to dinghy trailer hire and incorporating gutter cleaning and brush cutter hire services.
With affordable and accessible trailer hire services, Karen and John intend to significantly reduce the hassle of transporting and storing vehicles, while increasing security for boats and helping people more efficiently move throughout the Torres Strait.
In partnership with Esparq, the co-founders also developed a renewed and extensive business plan, updated financial forecast, and other operational plans.
“Karen and John’s business is addressing a real and immediate community need, while making a positive environmental contribution and helping elderly residents and others who cannot manage their own green waste removal,” Bek Lasky, Head of Community at Esparq, said.
“It’s an exciting business opportunity that has stemmed from a drive to help community members, and also has boundless potential to scale across other islands and communities to deliver a broad range of financial and social outcomes.”
Karen said applying for loans and financial support from other organisations had become an overwhelming process. “But when we met the Esparq team and had a quick yarn, I felt comfortable and connected to them. They helped us rework our business plan and much more. Having someone we could talk to and who was focused on our success was gold.”
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