Coffee Pod Art a Winner at the Waste2art Regionals

Published on 10 September 2018

Waste to Art (W2A) Regional Exhibition and competition was a huge success in Narromine over June and July and Gilgandra had a winner and highly commended entries. W2A provides an opportunity to showcase the creativity of local people who make art from materials which would otherwise find their way into landfill. The regional exhibition saw winners from Narromine, Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange, Gilgandra, Coonamble, Brewarrina, Forbes, Lachlan, Parkes, Broken Hill, Lithgow, Brewarrina, Oberon, Condobolin, Mid-Western, and Cabonne Councils compete against each other in a colourful display of innovation and creativity.

Gilgandra local Lorraine Burrell took out First Prize in the 2D Community section and Alan Croquett was Highly Commended in the 3D Open. Lorraine’s used the colourful coffee pods used in coffee machines that have become a problem waste stream over the past few years. It’s estimated that Australian coffee-drinkers dispose of 3 million coffee pods per day! They are not a cost-effective waste to recycle due to its small size and complex construction (being made of aluminium foil lids and plastic base) and the majority end up in landfill. Alan Croquett transformed two pre-loved sewing machines into detailed sculptures of tractors.

Director Planning & Environment, Lindsay Mathieson says,

“Council supports the reduction of waste into landfill by the community and commends the initiative of NetWaste in co-ordinating Waste to Art. Council applauds the community artists involvement in the exhibition and their creativity in thinking of an innovative way to reduce, reuse and recycle.”

NetWaste has developed the Waste to Art program over 13 years as a way to challenge people’s perceptions about ‘rubbish’ and to celebrate the reuse and recycling of waste through arts and crafts. W2A provides an innovative approach to waste education, invites schools and community groups to take up the challenge and create a new life for materials that would otherwise have been thrown away.

To find out more about W2A and the regional winners, go to www.netwaste.org.au