Published on Friday, 20 May 2022 at 2:18:33 PM
Two Regional Councils were winners of the 2022 Local Government WasteSorted Award for their GREAT games and School Waste Education Day.
The Resource Recovery Group (RRG) and the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) worked collaboratively to co-create the GREAT Games education materials to communicate positive waste behaviours to the community in fun and engaging ways.
Annual Awards
The top performers in Western Australia's recycling and waste industry were celebrated last night at the 2022 WasteSorted Awards which acknowledge innovative solutions to reduce waste and celebrate the champions whose efforts assist with achieving the targets in Western Australia's Waste Strategy.
This year, 38 finalists competed across 10 categories, showcasing the achievements of individuals, businesses, government, schools, community organisations and not-for-profits
The Hon Minister for Environment, Reece Whitby MLA was at the event to present the awards.
Educating beyond kerbside recycling
Resource Recovery Group Deputy Chair Cr. Karen Wheatland said between the two regional councils, the GREAT Games are currently reaching over 172,000 residents and are available to 63 schools.
“By educating beyond kerbside bin recycling, GREAT Games encompasses messages of gifting, recycling, earth-cycling, avoiding, and taking items to be safely disposed of or recycled,” she said.
“To become a sustainable society, it is important to successfully educate our youth, and this is what the GREAT Games strive to achieve.”
A School Waste Education Day (SWED) was also created as part of the project, which is a unique offering to primary schools involving the whole school, teachers and parent helpers where each year group in turn, learns about the GREAT characters and plays the GREAT Games in a single day.
GREAT teamwork
The GREAT Games project is the first time two Regional Councils have collaborated on such a level.
Staff from the Communication and Waste Education at both WMRC and Resource Recovery Group brought together different skills and ideas to create this resource.
‘The team was inspired to address residents’ confusion about recycling and waste and the need for consistent messaging,” WMRC CEO Stefan Frodsham said.
“It’s been great to put our heads together to create fun and engaging ways to educate about waste and recycling.”
“Congratulations to everyone involved!”
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For further information please contact:
Teresa Belcher
Resource Recovery Group
Email: tbelcher@resourcerecoverygroup.com.au
Mobile: 0488 594 324
Libby Eustance
Western Metropolitan Regional Council
Email: libby.eustance@wmrc.wa.gov.au
Mobile: 0412 553 680
Notes for Editors
More on the 2022 WasteSorted Award winners can be found https://www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/publications/view/infinity_awards/wastesorted-awards-2022-winners-stories?
GREAT Games
The GREAT Games include:
- Great GIFTING Game: a snakes and ladders style game which promotes gifting, swapping and selling unwanted items using – floor or desktop version
- Responsible RECYCLER: a sorting game which aims to reduce contamination in kerbside waste bins by improving household source separation through focusing on recycling paper, cardboard, cans, plastic and glass.
- Excellent EARTHCYCLER: a puzzle game to teach keeping organics out of landfill so they can be turned back into valuable resources.
- Awesome AVOIDER: a board game to reduce overall household waste generation by educating about alternatives. It uses gateway behaviours e.g. avoiding excess packaging and progresses to avoidance behaviours such as borrow not buy.
- Terrific TAKER: a relay game which educates on disposal of hazardous waste at drop-off points, at soft plastics at REDCycle collection locations and charity shops for other items.
- CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE: an exchange game which provides a mock 10c refund for each eligible container returned.
- LANDFILL IS THE LAST RESORT: a timeline guessing game which educates about the time taken for items to break down in landfill.
The games pack down for transport, are durable, easily cleaned/sterilised and adapt to indoor and outdoor, large and small settings.
About Resource Recovery Group
Resource Recovery Group is one of five regional councils in the Perth metropolitan area delivering sustainable waste management solutions. The group operates a state-of-the-art $100 million facility in Canning Vale, which receives, recycles, and processes waste from some of its member local councils and the community. Established in 1991, the local government entity’s member councils are City of Fremantle, City of Melville and Town of East Fremantle.
Since 2001, Resource Recovery Group has processed 2.7 million tonnes of household domestic waste, produced 1.2 million tonnes of products for re-use, and diverted almost 1.8 million tonnes of waste from landfill at a consistent rate of 65%, significantly above many other local governments in Perth. The Recycle Right Education Program has also been helping to provide a clear, consistent and accurate message regarding waste avoidance, reduction, recycling and disposal.
About Western Metropolitan Regional Council
The Western Metropolitan Regional Council is a local government organisation with five Member Councils: Towns of Claremont, Cottesloe and Mosman Park, City of Subiaco and the Shire of Peppermint Grove. It also has one Participating Council: Town of Cambridge. The WMRC was established in 1998 to provide waste recycling, transfer, haulage and education services. The WMRC’s mission is to minimise and efficiently manage waste for Perth’s central western communities and organisations. To do so, it provides waste facilities at the West Metro Recycling Centre in Shenton Park and a range of education and advisory services.
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