Williams crowned 2025 Tidy Towns champion

The Wheatbelt town of Williams has taken out the 2025 state award for Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities.

Williams impressed judges with its strong environmental stewardship and community-led initiatives, from well-planned bushwalks, riverbank restoration, waterwise planting, public spaces with solar lighting, and recycled signage, along with regular clean-up activities and beautification projects.

Now in its 56th year, the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards continue to celebrate the commitment of people building vibrant, clean, and safe communities across Western Australia.

The program was originally focused on litter prevention and beautification and now includes a broader focus on sustainability, covering a wider range of environmental, social, and economic aspects.

Clean teen sensation, Blayde Day (13) from Tom Price (a mining town in the Pilbara region), won the Young Legends award for launching an eco-friendly wheelie-bin cleaning service and inspiring his peers through innovation and community involvement.

Judges also presented a discretionary Leadership award to Northam local Sue Rodgers, recognising her tireless efforts to keep her town clean, safe, and socially connected.

Each award was presented in a handcrafted frame made by Men’s Shed volunteers and created from reclaimed timbers sourced from Western Australian landmarks, including the old Esperance Jetty and the Brunswick Showgrounds stables.

The awards build on the State Government’s commitment to growing Western Australia’s circular economy, recycling more, and reducing waste through programs such as Containers for Change and the WasteSorted initiatives in homes, schools, and local governments.

More than 30 regional and remote communities were finalists in the flagship Keep Australia Beautiful Council program.

Winners were announced at a gala lunch on Friday, 28 November, at Optus Stadium.

Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards showcase initiatives that enhance the environment, strengthen social cohesion, and foster a strong sense of local pride.

“Community spirit shines in Williams, where people come together with a shared purpose to care for their clean, welcoming, and environmentally conscious town,” he said.

“It’s wonderful to hear the stories of people who are not only enhancing the beauty of our environment but also strengthening the social fabric of regional towns and making their communities better places to live, work and visit.”

Williams will now go on to represent Western Australia in the National Tidy Towns Sustainability Awards.

Award winners: