Citiwaste see-through bins: for festivals and events to educate the public about waste.

There are many waste education programs conducted in Townsville.

The Don't Waste campaign lends itself to a broad range of initiatives:

• Don't Waste Australia
• Don't Waste North Queenland
• Don't Waste Townsville
• Don't Waste the Strand

Townsville is also the home of a mobile waste education unit for North Queensland, known as the LAWMAC Bus.

Do the Right Thing Brochure (.pdf 385kb)

The Do The Right Thing anti-litter campaign is widely regarded as one of the most successful behaviour-change campaigns in Australian history.

Recognising that litter is an important environmental issue, BIEC (Beverage Industry Environment Council) is launching Don't Waste Australia an upgraded national anti-litter campaign based on the Do The Right Thing model - in the latter part of 2002. The key objective of Don’t Waste Australia (DWA) is to visibly reduce the amount of litter in the Australian environment, through manufacturer and community participation in litter prevention, litter reduction and recycling activities. With three evocative television commercials to support the campaign launch, DWA showcases the outdoor lifestyle that makes the Australian way so healthy and desirable.

After two years of extensive research that considered all options, the Do The Right Thing (DTRT) campaign has been ‘rebranded’ – retaining the positive memories older generations have of DTRT – while adding a modern dimension to refresh the ‘don’t litter/recycle’ messages; and, make the campaign more relevant to younger demographics.

As a result, the campaign’s new ‘theme’ is Don’t Waste Australia, while it retains the Do The Right Thing ‘brand’. Sir William Deane, Australia’s last Governor General, has been appointed patron of the DTRT Foundation – which supports this important education and behaviour change campaign through public advocacy, the staging of fund-raising events and lobbying.

The project involves two mobile education units used to service two distinct regions of the state. The first unit is the LAWMAC education bus ('Kerby') to service 29 local governments in northern Qld. The LAWMAC bus is a mobile waste education unit officially launched at the LAWMAC meeting in Townsville, September 13, 2002.

'Kerby' at the 2005 Ecofiesta Click to Enlarge

The bus features static and interactive displays designed to assist young people’s understanding of recycling and its importance to a sustainable future. The bus is divided into several settings which demonstrate different recycling options for different environments. These include a kitchen, backyard and park.

The bus is shared between Queensland's 30 regional local authorities during the next two years. There is also room inside the bus, for local authorities to display their own information.

The second unit, is a trailer and is operated by Toowoomba City Council and utilised by councils in the Eastern Downs region as part of a coordinated approach to waste minimisation. The material contained in each unit is generic but councils can tailor programs to met local requirements and provide schools and the community information on their areas specified recycling system.

'Kerby' and its high tech counterpart have received warm welcomes in the northern shires by schools and the community. The Eastern Downs trailer is also in high demand.

Both education units have also been revamped to include the ‘Recyclable Steel’ logo on its labelling.

Inside 'kerby' - Waste Education Click to Enlarge

LAWMAC came up with the idea of the waste education bus to keep the far-flung population informed about recycling. ‘The bus is very user-friendly and it allows visitors to learn about recycling and waste management issues with hands-on experience,’ says Cr. Dave Egan, Deputy Mayor of Douglas Shire Council and Chair of LAWMAC.

An example of increased recycling from a mobile waste education unit is in the LAWMAC area where their waste education bus has a significant effect in the 40 tonne per annum recycling increase in the Nebo Shire Council.