2021 Waste NoT Award Winners Announced
News and Events / News
Congratulations to all winners in the eighth annual Waste NoT Awards (NoT = Northern Tasmania)!
Primary School Category
Longford Primary School – found unique and innovative ways to make their school more sustainable. They have purchased waste separation bins and are now separating soft plastics, paper, general recycling and compost. The compost is used in the school gardens and they have transformed their soccer field into an orchard with a chicken coop made from a salvaged shipping container.
Secondary School Category
Scottsdale High School – have tackled soft plastic waste at their Stronach View Farm and have implemented a recycling station for all of their used silage wrap. Each year the Stronach View Farm makes around 20-40 bales, which uses approx. 1-2 rolls of silage wrap (2000m per roll) which was ending up in landfill.
Colleges/Tertiary Institution Category
Launceston College Makers Workshop Class – have been innovatively making plastic planter pots from recycled bottle tops. The planters are made in the college’s STEAM NGN plastics room where they clean and mulch the plastics and use moulds to turn the chipped plastic into planter pots. The college saw a gap in bottle top recycling when the lids for kids program ceased and the college was made aware of many people having stockpiles of bottle tops they could no longer recycle. The college now has a recycling bin placed at the STEAM NGN entrance allowing the public to deposit their lids.
Small – Medium Organisation Category
Bridestowe Lavender Estate – has invested in a cardboard perforator to created a more sustainable alternative to bubble wrap when sending their delicate products to customers. The equipment has enabled them to reuse/repurpose at least 20 cubic metres of shredded cardboard that was salvaged from their stockpile of cardboard collected from incoming goods.
AND
Aspen Hair – are in the national sustainable salons program and reuse, recycle and repurpose as much of their salon waste as possible. Foil, plastic, metal, paper, hair, glass, razors and more are collected into allocated bins and a seven kilogram bag per week is diverted from landfill and sent for recycling or reuse.
Large Organisation Category
Hillwood Berries Pty Ltd – implemented separation for the fruit seconds by engaging Jam producers, as well as freezing seconds for local sale. At the end of every season all the strawberry growing bags are empied of their coconut coir filling, cleaned and sent to Envorinex in George Town for recycling. The coconut coir is mulched and sold locally for gardeners. To further reduce their landfill waste, they’ve begun sorting all soft plastics including any spent tunnel plastic and packaging and have implemented a separate cardboard recycling service.
Not-For-Profit/Community Group Category
Lilydale District Pony Club – developed a recycling trailer to move around to each of their club events which move across the region. The trailer houses several 240litre multi sort bins, which are labelled and put out for attendees to use. At the end of an event, the items are taken to the Launceston Recycling Centre or in the case of organic waste, is fed to chooks. The club also has a free refillable water station and hot drinks are discounted if attendees bring their own reusable cup. The Lilydale District Pony Club was also recognised as the Overall Waste NoT Awards Winner for 2021 in Tasmania.
AND
Rotary Club of Central Launceston – is reducing the harmful environmental and safety issues associated with batteries ending up in landfill. The club has distributed battery collection boxes to every Rotarian in the central Launceston club for use in homes and workplaces. Through their big network they are helping to keep batteries out of landfill and encouraging behaviour change far and wide.
State/Local Government Category
Northern Midlands Council – implemented a joint project with the Local Recycling Committee to introduce a mobile recycling hub that could be moved around the municipal area and provide a safe path for hard to recycle items such as CD’s, DVD’s, X’Rays and bread tags. The bright green mobile hub is appearing at local schools, community centres and events and helping to raise awareness in the Northern Midlands community on the importance of recycling and reducing waste.
Congratulations to all of the Waste NoT Awards winners and nominees in Northern Tasmania!
