Recycling the focus of first Gloucester Garden Club meeting of 2026

GLOUCESTER Garden Club members took part in a comprehensive discussion on recycling and waste management at their first meeting for 2026.

Guest speaker Jessie Summerville, the Water Resilience Officer with MidCoast Council, highlighted different recycling programs and what waste each bin can take.

“Your recycled waste is sent to a Visy material recovery facility where it is sorted and made into new products,” said Garden Club spokesperson Peter Hazell.

“And these days you can leave bottles and jar lids on, remove the food and liquids but no need to rinse them, and dispose of them in your yellow recycle bin.”

After reports from President Di Relf, secretary Michele Marland and treasurer Bob Marland, the club’s resident “Green Thumb” Mandy Griffis ran the ‘show and tell’ section of the meeting.

With hot weather impacting the region, Peter said fewer entries were received in the flower and veggie competitions, however the display still featured an “impressive lineup”.

Best in the flower competition was Dot Harris’ rose, second place went to Pearl Beggs’ yellow nerine and third was a tie between Shirley Hazell’s red nerine and Anne Williamson’s pink fairy rose.

Pearl Beggs’ dragon fruit was a popular winner of the veggies section, with Garth Rodrom second with a cucumber. Equal third were Tessa Searle with a lovely bunch of tomatoes and Di Relf with a large wrinkly Hubert squash.

Raffle winners at the meeting were Anne Williamson, Pearl Beggs and Fay Relf.

The membership draw winner was not claimed and jackpots for the next meeting.

Helen Evans won the lucky door prize.

The Garden Club’s March meeting will be held at the Hume Street location of Gloucester Landscapes plant nursery. The guest speaker will be horticulturalist Debbie Robinson.