Meet Change Maker Chrissy Beresford

Meet Chrissy Beresford, manager of Containers for Change Kingaroy who is utilising technology to run her business and mentor the next generation of women in recycling.

The 2020 Change Maker of the Year winner is dedicated to mentoring all of her staff, but especially young women who she hopes are inspired by career opportunities in the circular economy.

Chrissy currently has two female staff members working at the Kingaroy depot and believes there's no discrimination or barriers when it comes to who can work at a Containers for Change refund point.

Since opening the Kingaroy depot in 2019 the local community has embraced the container refund program, leading to her operating three pop-up refund points in the region, providing convenient access to Containers for Change in Blackbutt, Yarraman, and Nanango.

Chrissy’s daughter Siehanna Mickelo has followed in her mother’s footsteps working as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Project Officer at Cherbourg Regional Council’s Material Recovery Facility, connected to Cherbourg’s Containers for Change.

After seeing her mother’s passion for her job, Siehanna jumped at the chance to be involved with the recycling industry and her role in Cherbourg is one of the first in the world specialising in using AI to identify recyclable materials.

“My daughter jumped at the opportunity to work on the Artificial Intelligence project which is a completely new role in the industry,”

“For anyone who has the perception the recycling industry is male dominated, you actually see women working everywhere from logistics to the staff at refund points, to the people behind the technology that makes it all work,”

From providing training for staff to be certified to drive a forklift, to educating them on the software that it takes to run a business smoothly, Chrissy’s mentorship has made a huge impact on her community.

“I take pride in developing people, especially the young women who may not have considered this line of work before, and skilling them up – it’s not just about what you can do here, it’s about building their skills for the future.”

“Across the board there’s so many positive outcomes – from providing employment to the refunds from containers putting a meal on the table for our customers, everything we do at Containers for Change adds up and makes a huge difference,” she said.