The winning artists of the City of Ballarat's Waste Collection Vehicle Art competition have seen their vibrant designs launched on three waste collection vehicles.
Winning students Darcy Collier (Grade 3), Zyane Abdul (Grade 6), and Sienna Wilson (Year 7), and their families gathered at Durham Point, Lake Wendouree, to see the waste collection vehicles up close, take photos and celebrate their contribution to a more sustainable future.
The competition invited local students to create original artwork that encourages our community to use their kerbside bins correctly.
The response was overwhelming, with more than 130 entries showcasing incredible creativity, colour and a strong commitment to sustainability.
Due to the outstanding quality of submissions, the City of Ballarat expanded the number of vehicles featuring student artwork from two to three - giving even more visibility to the inspiring designs.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the initiative highlights the power of art to drive positive environmental change.
"These young artists have done more than just decorate our trucks, they have created moving masterpieces that will help spread the message for a cleaner, greener Ballarat," she said.
"Young people are often the ones teaching their parents about recycling and sustainability.
"These eye-catching designs will play a key role in educating residents about correct bin use."
The launch of the winning designs on the waste collection vehicles marks the one-month countdown until the introduction of the new FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) and glass recycling collections which will begin from Monday 3 November.
Ballarat residents can look out for the waste collection vehicles on their streets and be inspired by the creativity and environmental passion of the city's youngest changemakers.
The City of Ballarat held extensive community consultation in 2022 and 2023 to help shape the future of the municipality's waste and recycling collections.
The 'Sorting Our Waste' survey found 84 per cent of respondents would prefer to have a kerbside glass collection instead of the current Pass on Glass drop-off service while 77 per cent of respondents were likely to use a FOGO kerbside service.
For the latest updates about waste and recycling, download the Ballarat Waste app via the App Store or on Google Play.
