MOST products have a second life and its important for communities to begin challenging how they view waste.
That is the message from Fraser Coast Division 6 Councillor David Lewis.
Cr Lewis made the comment at the launch of the 2021 Waste to Art competition at the Nikenbah Transfer Station this morning.
Some $2,800 in prizemoney is up for grabs for the winning pieces.
The popular competition will see Fraser Coast locals transforming waste products into works of art that will be displayed at the Waste to Art Exhibition at Gatakers Art Space in Maryborough at the end of the year.
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Cr Lewis said the bulk of each piece must be waste.
“We had more than 100 entries last year and the important thing is that the products those works of art were made out of did not go to landfill,” Cr Lewis said.
He said the competition was a great way for people to explore ways to repurpose what they considered waste.
Events like the Waste to Art competition help people learn more about recycling, upcycling and reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.
“We need to encourage people to adopt a low waste lifestyle,” Cr Lewis said.
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Graham Barnes is one of the region’s artists who is looking forward to letting his creativity loose at the Fraser Coast’s tip shops and transfer stations.
“I have always recycled, why would you want to throw things away,” Mr Barnes asked.
“My art has definitely improved since taking part in previous Waste to Art competitions,” he said.
Mr Barnes said he was proud that some of his pieces were bought by people who viewed them.
“It’s great validation for your craft when someone sees value in your work,” he said.
Mr Barnes said he did not search through tip shops with a project in mind but would rather draw inspiration from what he discovered.
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“I’ll look at something and think about how it could be transformed into something beautiful.”
Hyne Timber has come on board as an event sponsor.
The company’s David Bennetts said artists would be offered free timber offcuts to use in their creations.
“Reducing waste has always been something important to our business,” Mr Bennetts said.
“It’s important for us to show respect to the trees that we use and that is why we use 98 per cent of every tree in our processes,” he said.
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Mr Bennetts said communities need to rethink how they consume different products and dispose of waste.
He said industries must also look at the work they do and think about how they can become more sustainable.
Meanwhile, people wanting to enter the competition are being urged to lodge an Expression of Interest with the organisers.
Cr Lewis said this would help manage the space requirements at the gallery.
“Previously, it was not until the artists turned up with their pieces on the closing date that we knew how many items, and the size of those items, that we would receive,” explained Cr Lewis.
“This way, artists will let us know what they are preparing so we can better organize wall and floor space to best display the items during the exhibition.”
Expressions of Interest are already open and close on August 26. Entry forms are due by October 26.
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Artworks can be delivered between November 13 and 21.
The exhibition will close on January 16.
The competition is open to artists of all ages – including professionals.
For more information and entry forms, click here.