Lights, camera, action in the war on waste!

A war is being waged on the Sunshine Coast and at the forefront are our schoolchildren.

The Sunshine Coast Council Schools War on Waste Film Competition is underway where we will be highlighting the imaginative, innovative and engaging strategies and initiatives the “waste warriors” at our schools are putting in place to minimise waste.

Environment Portfolio Councillor Jenny McKay said primary and secondary school students were eligible to enter the competition and the rules of engagement involved filming a short documentary on how your school is waging a war on waste.

“The War on Waste Film Competition is a fantastic initiative by council which really supports our vision to be Australia’s most sustainable region, healthy, smart and creative,” Cr McKay said.

“It is a great chance for our local schools to showcase all the incredible work they’ve been doing towards minimising waste. We’re hoping it will also inspire other schools and businesses to wage their own war on waste.

“Every school that enters this competition will need to film a two-minute documentary on their great work reducing waste, so there’s a real element of creativity and fun for students as well.

“One of the key goals of the Sunshine Coast Waste Strategy 2015-2025 is for our region to deliver innovative waste minimisation initiatives which can increase recycling, divert organics  and reduce the amount of waste going landfill.

“So this competition is a fantastic way to start educating our future community leaders about how important waste minimisation is and how they can play a proactive role in reducing waste now and into the future.”

Entries for the War on Waste Film Competition are now open and Suncoast Christian College is raring to go, having already achieved some major milestones in waste reduction this year.

“Suncoast Christian College joined council’s Waste 2 Resource STARS Program at the beginning of 2018 and it has been a real eye-opener and a game changer for the way we manage waste on campus,” principal Greg Mattiske said.

“We conducted waste audits which showed that approximately 64% of the school’s waste stream could be diverted from landfill through comingled and organics recycling

“The college has also installed a suite of new bins to aid our recycling efforts as well as a Bite-sized OSCA (On-site Composting Apparatus)

“The college also holds regular assemblies to reinforce the objectives of our waste minimisation program and later this year students will assess our waste diversion rates and look for areas we can improve.

“The War on Waste Film Competition will be a terrific opportunity for our students to capture their great work and hopefully provide a great example for other schools to follow.”

Shortlisted entries in the War on Waste Film Competition will be showcased on council’s Facebook page and the winners will be shown at the National Recycling Week Community Open Day on Saturday, November 17.

Additional prizes will also be awarded to the winning primary and secondary school entries.

For more information about the competition or to enter, click here  or visit the ‘recycling and waste education’ section of council’s website.