Western Australia's recycling and waste champions have been unveiled today with announcement of the 2020 Infinity Awards winners.
The annual awards - run by the Waste Authority - recognise individuals, businesses, government, schools, community organisations, not-for-profits and media outlets for their innovative solutions to reduce waste and promote reuse and recycling.
A shortlist of more than 100 nominations were assessed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and the Waste Authority. The calibre of entries was exceptionally high.
The diversity of the nominees this year demonstrates better waste outcomes are being achieved for everything from large redevelopments right through to community projects and illustrates the commitment of many to make WA a better and more sustainable place to live.
The winner of the Waste Wise School of the Year award is Augusta Primary School, which has been recognised for its approach to reducing and reusing waste, and educating the community. Boyup Brook Community Resource Centre took out the WA Regional Waste Award in recognition of the significant role it plays in recycling and diverting waste from landfill.
The Community Waste Award went to zero waste food retailer Wasteless Pantry with its branches in Mundaring, Bassendean and Greenwood. This innovative business was commended for demonstrating waste avoidance in its operations and for championing community waste education. So successful is it in its zero-waste endeavours that in February 2020 customers refilled more than 5,000 containers and only generated an average of 1.7kg of waste.
The nomination period for 2021, to be named the WasteSorted Awards, will be opened before the end of the year.
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The Infinity Awards acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding achievements of Western Australians working towards a better waste future through improved waste practices and innovative waste solutions.
"The quality of the entries in this year's awards was extremely high and all nominees should be very proud of the excellent work they are undertaking across our State.
"Now more than ever, Western Australia has many individuals and organisations going the extra mile to achieve reductions in waste and an increase in resource recovery.
"This week is National Recycling Week and so these awards are an ideal opportunity to recognise and reward the incredible work being done around the State to avoid and recover waste and protect the environment."
2020 Infinity Award finalists and winners:
| Community Waste Award | |
| Finalists | Wasteless Pantry Pty Ltd Green Skills Inc - The Cloth Nappy Project Onya Ascot Park Council of Owners - Ascot Park Apartments: Waste Project SecondBite WA Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC), City of Melville, City of Kwinana, City of Fremantle, Town of East Fremantle, WREN, Fremantle Men's Shed - Recycling Drop off Stations in SMRC region Scarborough Sunset Markets |
| Winner | Wasteless Pantry Wasteless Pantry has demonstrated waste avoidance in its own operations and has championed community waste education. These zero waste and bulk food stores have increased circular economy principles throughout the supply chain. In February 2020, customers refilled over 5,000 containers and only generated an average of 1.702kg of waste to landfill. |
| Commercial and Industrial Waste Award | |
| Finalists | Department of Communities - Bentley 360 Project Merit Consulting Group - Wrapped Pipes Project IGO Limited - I-GO Green Waste Reduction Initiative Main Roads Western Australia - Roads to Reuse Pilot Trial Earthcare Recycling Environmental Engineers International Pty Ltd - Treatment of Alumina Refinery Waste Through SPORE |
| Winner | Department of Communities - Bentley 360 Project The 24ha Bentley 360 urban renewal project led by the Department of Communities has demonstrated best practice in avoiding and recovering commercial and industrial waste. Existing buildings were repurposed and the deconstruction of the Brownlie Towers resulted in 98 per cent of demolition materials being recycled, and 32,163 tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill. |
| Waste Management Award | |
| Finalists | Waste and Recycling Industry Association of Western Australia, Cleanaway WA, Southern Metropolitan Regional Council, SUEZ WA, Western Australian Local Government Association - State Wide Guidelines for Kerbside Recycling Mindarie Regional Council - Winning Back Waste Write Solutions Australia - Organic Revolution Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council - Wood Waste Facility Rottnest Island Authority Sodexo and Rio Tinto City of Stirling - Championing Change Through Education and Actions |
| Winner | Waste and Recycling Industry Association of WA, Cleanaway WA, Southern Metropolitan Regional Council, SUEZ WA and WA Local Government Association The State-wide guidelines for kerbside recycling demonstrate a collaborative approach to address the need to reduce contamination in kerbside recycling bins. A commonly agreed A-Z guide has been developed, to reduce confusion and guide householders in correctly disposing of their waste materials into the correct kerbside bin. Nearly all Local Governments with kerbside recycling have adopted the guidelines. |
| WA Regional Waste Award | |
| Finalists | Boyup Brook - Community Resource Centre Recycling Hub City of Bunbury - Waste Education Team Ningaloo Bulk Foods ABC Foundation Ltd - Don't Let Your Crop Rot IGO Limited - I-GO Green Waste Reduction Initiative |
| Winner | Boyup Brook Community Resource Centre The Boyup Brook Community Resource Centre has been a collection point for recyclable goods since 2018, allowing the community to embrace recycling and divert waste items from landfill. |
| Waste Champion | |
| Finalists | Marcus Geisler Brandon Tomic Evette Wilson Nicolette Neveu-Abramczuk |
| Winner | Marcus Geisler Marcus Geisler has been a champion for waste reduction in Western Australia for many years. Mr Geisler's sustained efforts in various roles within the waste sector have contributed to the State being well positioned to become a low waste, sustainable circular economy focused on protecting human health and the environment. |
| Young Waste Achiever | |
| Finalists | Georgia Holt Charlotte Curtis-Davis AJ Smallberger |
| Winner | Georgia Holt Georgia Holt is a driving force in her community for environmental and social causes. Ms Holt advocated to the City of Kalamunda for a recycling and general waste bin to assist her in her regular clean-up days at Woodlupine Brook and was involved in selecting the bin location. Ms Holt met with 7-Eleven Chairman Michael Smith after identifying and writing to him to explain her environmental concerns that 7-Eleven's "Slurpy and coffee cups" were a major litter item in Woodlupine Brook. Together they are now discussing ideas to reduce the environmental impact of disposable items. |
| Waste Team of the Year | |
| Finalists | Volunteers of Toodyay Museums Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Ascot Park Council of Owners City of Bunbury Waste Services Team Wasteless Pantry Pty Ltd City of Wanneroo Waste Team Kinn & Co - The Waste Warriors Mindarie Regional Council - One Team |
| Winner | Volunteers of Toodyay Museums The Volunteers of Toodyay Museums are part of a small, dedicated team that have demonstrated a commitment to reducing waste and protecting heritage through Project Shingles. The team recovered approximately 21,000 shingles and prevented 12 tonnes of material from going to landfill. The recovered shingles are cleaned and sold as souvenirs or used as a unique canvas for craft people to work with. |
| Waste Innovation of the Year | |
| Finalists | Merit Consulting Group - Wrapped Pipes Project Dr Yu Dong - Novel Bionanocomposite Films for Sustainable Food Packaging to Reduce Solid Waste Landfills Matter BinSense - Smarter Bins Aroona Alliance, Water Corporation - Harvesting struvite from digested sludge centrate: Beenyup pilot plant |
| Winner | Merit Consulting Group Merit Consulting has brought an innovative approach to develop and implement a process to recover clean concrete and steel from over 10,000 lineal metres of contaminated pipe. Merit consulting designed and built a new processing facility that resulted in a diversion of 693 tonnes of waste to landfill, recovery of 350 tons of steel and the reuse of its process water. |
| Waste Wise School of the Year | |
| Finalists | Augusta Primary School Hillcrest Primary School Mary's Mount Primary School St Mary's College Broome (Primary Campus) Bold Park Community School West Greenwood Primary School Parkfield Primary School |
| Winner | Augusta Primary School Augusta Primary School has demonstrated a multi-faceted approach to reducing and reusing waste and educating the community. In addition to worm farms and compost to recover organics from lunchboxes and the canteen, the school recovers all paper waste, and produces weed mats and firebricks for sale. Other materials that the Augusta Primary School collects for recycling are soft plastics, Nespresso pods, batteries, plastic bottle lids and bread tags. |
| Media Award | |
| Finalists | Ms Claire Ottaviano, Echo News Ms Joanna Prendergast, ABC Mid-West Ms Tyne Logan, ABC Ms Lucy Jarvis, Community News Ms Emma Young, WAtoday ABC producer Ms Elicia Kennedy and reporter Ms Eliza Borrello |
| Winner | Claire Ottaviano, Echo News Claire Ottaviano has actively reported on several environmental and waste issues across the Perth Hills region, including active coverage of illegal dumping and implementation of FOGO. Environment and waste issues are of high importance to Echo News readership and Ms Ottaviano consistently maintains an active awareness of local activities which may impact upon the pristine nature of the area and is quick to address the waste concerns of the community. |
