Murrumbidgee Council has won the Communication & Engagement Award at the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW 2023 Tidy Towns Awards for populations between 1,501 and 5,000.
Mayor, Ruth McRae said she was thrilled with the news of the award for the 2023 Waste to Art initiative, which featured artistic designs from reused and recyclable materials.
She said Council was pleased with the initiative’s success and the positive impact it had on promoting sustainable waste practices and challenging attitudes about things that may have otherwise been thrown away.
CEO of Keep Australia Beautiful NSW, Val Southam said the commitment of the councils, organisations and individuals who entered was evident in the calibre of the entries received this year and she congratulated this year’s winners and finalists and everyone that entered.
The Waste to Art competition and ensuing exhibition were integral components in the Council’s holistic campaign to foster long-term changes in waste management behaviour and attitude.
Mayor McRae said the initiative aligned perfectly with the Council-wide introduction of organic waste collection and recycling for Jerilderie in July this year.
“It served as our flagship communication tool in the campaign to improve the way waste is managed in our area. Importantly it also served to foster artistic and cultural excellence and community cohesion,” she said.
“Adding to the success of the project was the collaboration with many different champions of waste and art, including NetWaste, Western Riverina Arts, Kerri Weymouth Art, Isis Ronan-Rae, as well as our waste partners, Kurrajong Recycling and Wormtech. We also secured funding from the NSW Government for the exhibition opening.
“Thank you to everyone who was involved and who supported the initiative. Thanks also to our staff and councillors for their support.”
