Eight families in Whanganui will benefit from lawnmowers recycled in Whanganui Prison’s small motors workshop.
Prison instructors Hayden Veart and Brent Scott this week delivered eight mowers to Sherron Sunnex who runs the Koha Shed.
The Koha Shed will distribute the mowers to local families.
The lawnmowers are part of an initiative involving EnviroWaste, Palmerston North Community Corrections and Whanganui Prison.
EnviroWaste gave permission for Corrections to recycle discarded mowers that were accumulating at a Palmerston North waste transfer station. Every fortnight a trailer load of mowers is delivered to the Small Motors workshop at Whanganui Prison.
In the prison’s small motor workshop Hayden oversees the stripping and repair of the lawnmowers by the men working towards their New Zealand Certificate Horticulture Level 2 qualification under the Primary ITO.
The course offers men the opportunity to gain worthwhile skills that can be used to find employment and help with their ongoing rehabilitation.
Any lawnmowers that cannot be repaired are used for spare parts.
“It’s been a great project for the men to work on,” says Hayden. “As well as the practical skills, they’re also problem-solving by having to find a part in the workshop to replace one that’s worn out.”
Repaired mowers have also been distributed to Community Corrections sites where they are used by community work teams for grounds maintenance work.