Wanneroo school wins Young Re-inventor of the Year award

Other winning entries included jewellery made from soft drink cans, a reusable envelope and a shower filtering system.

St Anthony’s students collected hundreds of bottle lids to highlight the problem of plastic waste, especially in our oceans. The lids were glued to an upcycled white board to make an ocean scene depicting an octopus, starfish, crab, coral and the words ‘Protect what we love, save our oceans’.

For their efforts, St Anthony’s School won a sustainability prize pack to help students pursue their passion for litter and waste reduction.

City of Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts congratulated the students on their award win and commitment to waste reduction.

“Reducing contamination in our recycling and diverting waste from landfill requires a collaborative approach and commitment from the whole community,” Mayor Roberts said.

“It is fantastic to see the students at St Anthony’s setting such a great example for others to follow. By embracing the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ message we can each make a meaningful contribution to reducing waste to landfill and improving environmental sustainability.”

Young Re-inventor of the Year challenges young people to re-think waste. In 2018, Young Re-inventor of the Year adopted a Water theme and asked young people to reinvent rubbish into something that helps keep our waterways clean or conserves water.

The annual re-use program attracted 138 entries created by more than 400 young people from across Western Australia.

Switch your thinking is a local government sustainability initiative inspiring sustainable action in schools, businesses and the community.

Young Re-inventor of the Year is funded through the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account administered by the Waste Authority. 

See the full list of the winners and their inventions at switchyourthinking.com.