Waste Diversion Projects Big Winners At Sustainability Awards

Mums' groups win Premier's Sustainability Award
Projects that reuse or recycle materials and minimise sending waste to landfill were recognised last night at the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards.

Volunteer-run groups St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums were the evening’s big winners. In addition to winning the Community Award category, they also scooped the Premier’s Recognition Award for their ‘Recycle, Reuse, Rehome’ project.

The groups collect, reuse and recycle pre-loved babies’ and children’s gear, and re-distribute to families in need, thereby ensuring usable resources avoid going to landfill.

Presenting the award, Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water Lisa Neville said: “It’s great to see this organisation being recognised for their philanthropic work, and also for incorporating environmentally-friendly choices into their project goals.”

Barwon Health was announced as the winner of the Premier’s Regional Recognition Award for its ‘Food Services Central Production Unit Recycling Initiatives’ project. It is the first Victorian health service to successfully implement the Closed Loop Organics System CLO3000, a composting machine for food waste.

Fitting for  the month in which the Victorian Government launches its organics resource recovery strategy, Goulburn Valley Waste and Resource Recovery Group and Moira Shire Council won the Government Award for their ‘Overcoming Barriers to Effective Household Kerbside Garden and Food Organics Recovery’ project.

Since introducing a full kerbside organics collection service in December 2014, Moira Shire has diverted over 3,000 tonnes of organics from landfill, with contamination rates consistently below 1 per cent.

The complete list of winners of the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards 2015 are:

  • Built Environment Award: Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance – Watts Working Better
  • Community Award: St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums – Recycle, Reuse, Rehome
  • Education Award: The University of Melbourne – The Growing Green Guide for Melbourne
  • Environmental Justice Award: Darebin City Council – Darebin Solar Saver
  • Environmental Protection Award: Robert Bosch Australia- Reclamation of Copper from Prescribed Industrial Wastewater
  • Government Award: Goulburn Valley Waste and Resource Recovery Group and Moira Shire Council – Overcoming Barriers to Effective Household Kerbside Garden and Food Organics Recovery
  • Health Award: Monash Health – Cleaning Without Chemicals in Healthcare
  • Innovative Products or Services Award: Living Fundraisers – Closet Cleanout
  • Small and Medium Enterprises Award: Yarra Valley Estate – Yarra Valley Estate.

For more information on this year’s winners, visit the awards website.

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