Bellingen Show wins Innovation Award
The award is for innovation by a Show Society Member of the Agricultural Societies Council of NSW. The winner of the award receives a trophy and a cheque for $2000 to be used for a project or development that will benefit the wining Show Society.
Bellingen’s submission highlighted the societies’ initiative at its 2023 show where it partnered with sustainability advocate OzGreen to reduce the level of waste emanating from the Annual Show. OzGreen setup and managed waste sorting stations during the show and provided advice to show patrons on how to identify and separate different types of waste. The result was:
an estimated 25% reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill;
1525 L of compostable materials taken to North Bank Community Gardens;
1397 interactions with people at the bins – asking people to guess, answering questions, talking about which bins to use, etc…
846 people corrected at the bins – people who were using the incorrect bins were provided with advice as to how to identify and why to separate waste;
3 coffee vans offering reusable mugs – around 300 disposable cups saved from landfill; and
cans and bottles collected during the show were recycled by the Chrysalis School and the funds raised used for school projects.
The Bellinger River Agricultural Society is committed to developing a comprehensive waste management strategy for implementation at the 2024 Bellingen Show.
Image courtesy of OzGREEN