2025 WasteSorted Awards - Winners’ Stories

Winner: Earthwise Community   

A not-for-profit based in Subiaco, Earthwise Community is dedicated to ‘caring for each other and caring for the earth’. Supported by over 50 volunteers, they operate an op shop, permaculture community garden, free food centre, and provide hands-on workshops promoting reuse, repair, and waste reduction. Through creative resource recovery and local partnerships, Earthwise Community has diverted 1,800 kilograms of clothing and textiles from landfill in just six months. The food centre receives 1,220 kilograms of rescued food per week that is distributed to those in need and used to served up a community lunch every Thursday. Earthwise Community plays an important role in community waste education and continues to inspire a range of community members to value reusing resources they have and to learn new skills through practical waste reducing workshops.   

Highly commended: Fair Game Australia 

A community-based charity, Fair Game collects unwanted second-hand sports shoes and equipment, repairing and redistributing them to people in need across Western Australia. Through its Equip for Sport program and a network of 40 donation bins, they have distributed over 100,000 items since 2011, improving access to sport while diverting thousands of kilograms from landfill. By finding alternative reuse and recycling pathways for sports equipment, Fair Game promotes a circular economy and inspires community action on waste reduction. Over the past year 15,038 useable items and have been donated, cleaned, mended and sent out in response to community requests. Additionally, 2,166 items that are in good condition but don’t fit with the program have been donated to relevant Not-For-Profits or sold and 4,129 items passed to recycling schemes. Donating is made easy by establishing a network of donation bins and community participation demonstrates the positive environmental and social impacts. 

Winner: Joondalup Education Support Centre 

An Independent Public School supporting 128 students with diverse needs, Joondalup Education Support Centre embeds sustainability into everyday learning. With a dedicated Environment and Sustainability teacher, the school has expanded its waste-wise initiatives to include a chicken coop alongside worm farms and compost bins, aiming to divert all organic food waste from landfill. The impact of this project extends beyond reducing organic food waste going to landfill; it has also fostered a significant behavioural shift among students, staff, and the school community. 'Chicken bins' placed in the staffroom and wet areas have increased visibility and encouraged proper waste disposal. Hands-on student involvement fosters responsibility, environmental awareness, and community engagement, inspiring sustainable practices both at school and beyond. 

Winner: Perth Waldorf School 

An independent K–12 Steiner school in Bibra Lake, Perth Waldorf School integrates sustainability into its curriculum, operations, and community life. Guided by student-led audits, the school standardised bin colour coding according to national guidelines, expanded composting systems to include organic collection caddies in all classrooms, and launched initiatives such as a second-hand clothing market and community Repair Hub. Kindergarten classrooms have set up a closed loop bokashi compost system to manage dairy and grain rich scraps from their lunch program. Through these programs, Perth Waldorf School cultivates a culture of environmental stewardship, hands-on learning, and community engagement that reflects its values of creativity, connection to nature, and responsible resource reuse and recycling. 

Winner: WA Solar Recycling 

Founded in 2018, WA Solar Recycling captures functional used solar equipment from industry, mining, and the public to prevent it from going to landfill. At its Perth processing depot, items are assessed, cleaned, and directed primarily to reuse (80 per cent) or recycling (20 per cent). Since inception (2020–2025), the business has saved over 43,000 solar panels (875 tonnes), 35,000 batteries (794 tonnes), and tonnes of associated materials from disposal, applying a waste hierarchy approach that prioritises second life use over recycling. By identifying functional equipment and separating this from defunct items, WA Solar recycling has redirected 17 tonnes of solar rail (aluminium) into the second-life market which would otherwise have been recycled. 

Winner: Rebecca James – Fremantle Ports 

Working at Fremantle Ports, Rebecca James identified that recyclable materials from cruise ships were being sent to landfill due to biosecurity regulations. She initiated local recycling trials, engaging biosecurity officers to inspect and clear separated materials, and contributed to the design of a national trial led by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and Australian Maritime Safety Association (AMSA). Awarded a Churchill Fellowship, she researched international approaches to maritime waste recycling, bringing insights back to inform policy and practice in Australia. National trials – cruise ship recycling is now occurring under the DAFF Maritime Waste Recycling Pilot (DMWRP) at six ports across the country, with the major cruise lines now arriving in Australia able to offload material for recycling. She continues to action several other areas such as development of a Port Waste Management Plan for Ship Generated Waste, exploring port waste fee and charges models and investigating waste-to-energy options for residual shipping waste. 

Highly commended: Mia Pitassi – Skipping Stones Refillery 

Skipping Stones Refillery, founded by Mia Pitassi, is the state’s first and only mobile liquid refillery dedicated to offering refills on tap to eliminate packaging waste. Operating at farmers markets, it enables customers to refill household, personal care, and food liquids in their own containers, with all products sourced from local, eco-conscious businesses. Mia developed this model to prevent unnecessary single-use plastics, support local supply chains, and reduce carbon impact from transport and packaging. By bringing refill services directly into communities, she makes sustainable shopping easy and accessible, helping shift consumer habits towards reuse and waste reduction. April 2025 saw the launch of two first-of-their kind in Australia refill stations in partnership with local governments. These machines use tap-to-pay technology and are the first of their kind in Australia. 

Winner: State Rehabilitation Services Ward 1A – Fiona Stanley Hospital 

State Rehabilitation Services, Ward 1A at Fiona Stanley Hospital provides spinal cord injury services for Western Australians while leading sustainability initiatives in healthcare. Its team of more than 120 nurses and nursing assistants trialled and implemented alternatives to single-use plastics. For example, paper pill cups, straws and denture cups have been introduced to all hospitals in the South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS), saving more than 800,000 plastic items from landfill each year. They introduced waste reduction and recycling programs, collecting metal instruments, syringes and medication blister strips, and ran patient education initiatives. In January 2024 before the clinical waste reduction program, the ward generated 836 kilograms of clinical waste per month and following implementation, clinical waste was reduced to 220 kilograms by March 2025 – a reduction of 80 per cent. Future plans include creating a ward-specific waste management and recycling guide to encourage more staff participation. 

Highly commended: PalletON   

PalletON is a five-person Perth-based team addressing the environmental impact of timber pallet waste. In the past year, they recovered over 51,000 pallets, saving thousands of trees and preventing significant carbon emissions. By repairing and reusing pallets that would otherwise be discarded, the team extends product lifecycles, reduces landfill, and demonstrates the value of circular solutions. They targeted a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in pallet recovery and reuse, and expanded into high waste areas like the Pilbara where discarded pallets are widespread.  Inspired by the cycling term ‘peloton’, their name reflects the collaborative power of their tight-knit team and trusted partners. Together, they’ve built a fast-moving, purpose-driven operation delivering measurable environmental and business benefits across Western Australia. 

Winner: City of Canning 

The City of Canning is fostering a local circular economy through repair, reuse, and waste reduction initiatives. Projects include Australia’s first council-led repair service rebate with repair-focused activities including the facilitation of hands-on Repair Labs, and an online circular economy map showcasing local circular businesses and initiatives. They provided reusable serveware at major events, reaching over 22,000 community members in the 2024–25 season, provided a set of 200 reusable cups for staff-led events and contributed to WALGA’s Better Practice Guideline for Waste Management at Public Events. The City also pioneered WA’s first on-demand donation collection with Good Sammy, offering convenient opportunities for the community to support reuse. The City is reducing barriers, embedding long-term waste reduction projects into the community and shifting from a throwaway culture to a sustainable, circular economy. 

Highly commended: City of Kwinana 

The City of Kwinana’s Street-by-Street program uses neighbourhood events and creative engagement to build waste literacy, community connection, and trust in local services. Led by the City’s Circularity and Community Safety teams, the initiative combines games, giveaways, and on-site demonstrations to promote correct waste sorting and resource recovery. The program has expanded through increased reach, gamification, organics integration and new partnerships such as with Fire and Emergency services. Street-by-Street was a success because it engaged with residents at their homes – on their verges, at their bins, and in their parks. It delivered waste education through celebration and community connections. Integrated with the three-bin rollout and local partnerships, the program continues to expand its reach, fostering sustainable behaviours across the city’s more than 45,000 residents. 

Winner: Shire of Broome 

The Shire of Broome is committed to waste reduction and reuse at its Waste Management Facility despite the challenges of operating in a remote regional community. Recent WasteSorted Infrastructure Grants have funded an all-weather e-waste drop-off area and mechanical sorting for recoverable materials diverting e-waste and scrap metal from landfill. Constructed in early 2024, the new area has proven effective, facilitating the recovery of 25.5 tonnes of e-waste transported to Techcollect for recycling in 2023–24, and 28 tonnes to date in 2024–25. Manual sorting efforts have expanded into the community drop-off area to intercept hazardous materials – particularly batteries – and reduce fire risks. Seasonal reuse areas, hazardous material recovery, and improved compaction practices increases resource recovery, and there is support for community upcycling by allowing residents to drop items off for reuse and collect reusable items such as furniture, tools, timber, offcuts of metal and miscellaneous items. 

Highly commended: City of Bunbury and Give Write 

Give Write is a registered charity that collects and repurposes new and pre-loved school stationery for Western Australian students in need. Partnering with the City of Bunbury since 2021, the program has grown to include community sorting days, a ‘Teachers Store’ for surplus items, and distribution through the Really Really Free Markets (RRF Markets). In 2024, a stall of Give Write stationery was also held at the November and December RRF Markets, encouraging people to give and use repurposed schools supplies rather than buying new. A total of 50 140L bins of stationery has been donated through the program to date, equal to seven metres cubed of stationery diverted from landfill. By reusing donated supplies, it reduces waste, supports families facing financial hardship, and ensures regional students start the school year equipped to learn. 

Highly commended: Purple Plough – Containers for Change Bridgetown 

Purple Plough operates the Containers for Change refund point in Bridgetown, employing a small local team and providing meaningful work opportunities. Since taking over in mid-2024, they have increased container returns by 59 per cent, expanding services to schools, businesses, and community groups across surrounding towns. From 1 July 2024 to 31 May 2025 there have been 1.73 million containers collected by 984 unique customers in a town with 5,238 inhabitants, meaning 66 per cent of the population have returned containers. Through improving drop-off processes, offering free collection bins, and delivering targeted education, Purple Plough makes recycling easier and more accessible, helping communities earn refunds while reducing waste. 

Winner: Western Metropolitan Regional Council – Re(love) Your Stuff 

The Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) works with its five Member Councils to reduce waste to landfill through education and services. In 2024, they launched the (Re)Love Your Stuff campaign to address textile waste, delivering nine clothing swaps, 15 reuse and repair workshops, four beeswax wrap workshops, and the Textile Trail festival. The project was funded by a WasteSorted Community Education grant. Engaging over 20,500 participants, the program diverted more than 1.5 tonnes of textiles from landfill, built community repair skills, and promoted sustainable fashion choices. The campaign’s innovation is seen in combining education, behaviour change theory, and practical, accessible solutions that normalise low-waste textile behaviours. It shows how small-level infrastructure and creative communication can create measurable, community-wide shifts in how people value and manage their textiles.

Highly commended: The Curated Wardrobe – Sustainable Fashion Events 

The Curated Wardrobe reduces fashion waste by helping people reconnect with the clothes they already own and inspire behaviour change by shifting attention away from consumerism and toward creativity, personal expression, and sustainable wardrobe solutions. Through community workshops held in community centres, libraries, and council-run spaces, styling masterclasses, and guided preloved shopping tours, the Curated Wardrobe promotes mindful wardrobe habits and supports local circular fashion economies. In 2024, they delivered 29 events across Western Australia, engaging over 1,500 participants to restyle existing pieces, shop second-hand with purpose, and extend the life of garments, reducing textile waste and encouraging sustainable fashion choices. 

Winner: GO2CUP  

GO2CUP was created to challenge the ‘create and discard’ mentality that dominates food and beverage consumption and is dedicated to replacing single-use items at events with large-scale, accessible reuse systems. Partnering with local governments and event organisers, the organisation supplies reusable serve ware, manages collection and washing, and supports vendors through tailored onboarding. In 2024, GO2CUP eliminated over 300,000 single-use items, achieving up to 100 per cent reuse rates at some events. Their approach reduces waste, simplifies sorting, and introduces thousands in the community to circular economy principles. Their innovation is about designing reuse systems that are effortless, scalable and shifting mindsets by embedding reuse directly into the event experience, making reuse normal and possible for everyone to participate. In addition to waste diversion, GO2CUP results in reduced bin contamination, lower litter volumes, improved public understanding of the waste hierarchy and stronger vendor relationships. 

Highly commended: Skipping Stones Refillery 

Skipping Stones Refillery, founded by Mia Pitassi after co-launching WA’s first tool library, is the state’s first and only mobile liquid refillery dedicated to offering refills on tap to eliminate packaging waste. Operating at farmers markets, it enables customers to refill household, personal care, and food liquids in their own containers, with all products sourced from local, eco-conscious businesses. This model prevents unnecessary single-use plastics, supports local supply chains, and reduces carbon impact from transport and packaging. By bringing refill services directly into communities, Skipping Stones makes sustainable shopping easy and accessible, helping shift consumer habits towards reuse and waste reduction. April 2025 saw the launch of two first-of-their kind in Australia refill stations in partnership with local governments. These machines us tap-to-pay technology and are the first of their kind in Australia. 

Winner: Soft Landing Mattress Recycling 

Soft Landing is a national not-for-profit social enterprise recycling end-of-life mattresses, bed bases, and whitegoods, with operations in Wangara, WA. Using manual dismantling to maximise recovery, the Perth team has diverted over 110,000 mattresses and 9,300 whitegoods, from landfill in 2024, achieving a 70 per cent material recovery rate. Rather than using high-energy mechanical shredders, their method keeps recovery rates high and material quality intact. The process recovers steel, foam, and timber for reuse, creates inclusive jobs for people facing barriers to employment. A kerbside mattress collection service, strong local partnerships with councils and retailers, and a responsible recycling model has increased accessibility for community members to close the loop on mattress recycling. 

Highly commended: GO2CUP 

GO2CUP partners with councils, events, markets, and vendors to replace disposable food and drink packaging with durable, reusable alternatives. Providing the full reuse system from supply and collection to commercial washing and redistribution, the organisation has supported over 600 events and venues since 2018, helping avoid more than 600,000 single-use items. By integrating waste sorting and recycling for end-of-life products, GO2CUP keeps materials in circulation, maximises recovery, and drives a cultural shift towards reuse in Western Australia. 

WRITE Solutions 

WRITE Solutions is a locally based sustainable waste management company committed to diverting waste organic waste from landfill and transforming it into valuable products while helping businesses, communities, and the planet thrive. Since 2018, WRITE Solutions has scaled significantly, to managing over 250 clients and diverting thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill annually. In 2024, they partnered with Westfield Carousel, one of Perth’s largest shopping centres to launch a groundbreaking organic waste diversion project. With 337 retailers, and 13 million customer visits in 2024, the team at Westfield Carousel focused on driving positive environmental sustainability outcomes. Collective efforts combined to divert over 70 per cent of estimated organic waste volume from landfill. This project introduced customised systems, tailored engagement and education tools to simplify current practices. It shows circular economy leadership and has laid the foundation for future capability with a high-impact pilot project that can serve as a scalable model for other WA shopping centres.