Waste 2 Art
Waste 2 Art is a FREE waste-inspired art competition and exhibition that celebrates the reuse and recycling of waste. There's a category for every member of the community and each year there is a waste theme to guide your creations. The focus of Waste 2 Art is to challenge the way we look at waste.
2025 Waste Theme: Year of the Toys
Australia's demand for toys and games is on the rise, with a growing focus on learning and development for our children. To fuel this market, it has been reported that Australia imports around 220 million toys, weighing over 200 thousand tonnes, annually. The value of the industry amounted to approximately 2.3 billion dollars in 2024.
Sadly, on the other side of the joy and prosperity this industry provides, many of these toys end up as waste. In weight, just over half of imported toys are discarded, and of this over 80% end up in Australia’s landfills.
EXCEPT we can make a difference. We can choose to reuse, recirculate and recycle our toys. We can do this by sharing or exchanging our toys with friends and family, donating toys and recycling our well used toys. Sometimes, recycling toys can be a bit tricky because it takes just a little effort to separate the different materials used to make a toy.
The Waste 2 Art competition welcomes schools, community groups and individuals to get involved and turn their rubbish into art.
There are several categories for primary and secondary school students as well as community members and professional artists in the Open category. These include two dimensional, three dimensional and functional artworks. Students can also make their art at home and then select primary or secondary when entering. Entries close Monday, 5 May 2025.
Competition and Exhibition Location
The 2025 Competition and Exhibition will be held at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC), 105 William Street, Bathurst.
Delivering Artworks
Artists can deliver their artworks to BMEC on Sunday 4 May 10.00am - 3.00pm & Monday 5 May 10.00am - 3.00pm.
Entries Close: Monday, 5 May 2024, 3.00pm.
Click here to Enter and view Terms and Conditions.
Additional Resources
Introduction: Waste 2 Art Year of the Toys
Why should we care about toy waste?
An Educator's Resource:
We have created this comprehensive, easy-to-follow, curriculum-focused resource for educators of students ranging from pre-kinder to senior high school. Download here: Waste 2 Art - Educators Resource(PDF, 4MB)
Video Resources:
Keep Australia Beautiful - Tidy Towns
The Bathurst Waste 2 Art program received a Highly Commended award in the Waste Avoidance Category at the 2024 NSW Tidy Towns Sustainability Awards held on 2 November in Bathurst. This award is well-deserved recognition of the hard work and commitment of both Council staff and community members. For more information about the Tidy Towns award program, go to https://www.kabnsw.org.au/.