Young school kids from the Dubbo Region will see some of their creativity on the road, when it's used as part of a large mural on the side of waste transfer bins in Ballimore and Eumungerie. As part of a revamp of its rural waste facilities, Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) engaged the work of Zest Events, to help come up with a creative way for school students to bring some colour to the waste facilities. It also helps engage the next generation about the war on waste and reinforces key messages about sustainability that they're already learning at school.
Throughout this school term, Zest has been working with Ballimore and Eumungerie Public Schools to come up with a theme for the transfer bins, and put together a beautiful collage, as part of a larger landscape to be displayed on the side of the bins.
"By engaging these smaller schools to come up with a theme and design, it gives the kids a sense of ownership and connection to the community, especially when they get to see their artwork displayed on the side of a truck travelling between their village and Dubbo," said DRC Manager Waste Recovery and Efficiency John Wisniewski.
There are five transfer stations in the Dubbo region, which are at located near villages in the LGA. Ballimore Public School participated in a planning and design session with Dubbo-born artist Zac Craig. Locals might be familiar with Zac's work after he helped decorate the region as part of DRC's inaugural Chalk Walk in 2020, aimed at encouraging people to get out and enjoy art in a COVIDSafe way.
"Zest events is proud to partner with Dubbo Regional Council to deliver fun and engaging activities like this. The children at Ballimore were so excited to come up with a great concept for their transfer bin. In the end, the theme they chose centred around recycling and reusing materials, which is about ensuring we have a more sustainable future," said Zac Craig.
Ballimore's transfer bin will join a suite of bins from across the region. In 2019, Stuart Town and Geurie Public Schools decorated their bins. Eumungerie school students joined Ballimore this year to come up with a design that will be seen on the sides of the bins for years to come.
"When we shifted to the transfer bin model, we wanted students to feel connected to their community, while also learning some important sustainability and resource conservation lessons. We have education campaigns currently rolling out in primary schools about the importance of proper waste disposal, but this just goes one step further to helping have that understanding," said Mr Wisniewski.
Image caption: School students with Zac Craig showing off their artwork, which will be developed into a giant mural for the transfer bins.
