Tip top girls rule at Gympie dump

3rd December 2008

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NOTHING makes mother and daughter team Cath and Amanda Bowman happier than being down in the dumps literally.

The ever-smiling duo have just taken over recycling duties at Gympie's Bonnick Road Waste Management Centre, after winning a Gympie Regional Council tender for the job.

Cath, 39, and her 16-year-old daughter Amanda were in the thick of serving enthusiastic customers at their tip store yesterday when The Gympie Times caught up with them.

"It's only our second day, but we have had over 50 customers this morning already," a beaming Cath said.

"Everyone has been very positive about us taking over the tip we are very excited."

Amanda and Cath head up CNC Recyclers and hope to make a living by selling off scrap metal and scavenging pre-loved items off the tip face.

"We sell absolutely everything in the shop, but scrap metal is one of our biggest earners.

"Non-ferrous metal, steel, aluminium, copper, brass and so many more are sold off to scrap merchants," she said.

The scrap metal may be a big part of the business, but the real fun is in the tip face where Cath and Amanda find all sorts of hidden gems thrown out by the Gympie public.

All the treasures are cleaned up and displayed for sale in the tip shop at extremely reasonable prices.

"We sell a lot of car motors.

"At $25 they are our highest seller."

After working at the Lady Mayoress's tip in Brisbane and the Southside Waste Management centre in Gympie, Cath said it was phenomenal what people threw out at the dump.

"People throw everything out; we even find brand new stuff that has never been out of the box.

"You'd be surprised how much new stuff is thrown out.

"We find antiques, collectables, modern, up-beat items and coins."

Cath said the best find she ever had was while she was working at the Lady Mayoress's dump in Brisbane.

"I found a jewellery box full of estate jewellery, about 20 items."

Amanda has just finished Year 10 at Gympie State High School and hopes to make a go of the business with her mother.

"Amanda is a natural scavenger, she loves to find the great finds," Cath said.

"We will be full on for the first month and it will keep us busy for the year."

The recyclers are asking residents to be mindful where they dump their rubbish and try to separate the steel from general waste.

"I pulled a car axle out of the tip face this morning for a woman it's fair going," Cath said.

"We will just have to train people that steel needs to be dumped in the steel area and not the tip face.

"Any good items can be left at the shop," she said.