Ever heard yourself say “What a waste?"

Well, if you live in the Gilgandra Shire now’s the time to fix that by entering the 2026 Waste 2 Art competition and not only saving on landfill but giving your best creativity a chance to shine.

The Gilgandra Shire Council is inviting the community and residents to transform waste materials into creative works with this year’s theme, “Shrink your footprint”, and Council is encouraging residents to start collecting and reimagining materials.

Artworks must be made from reused or recycled materials and fit within a shoebox, such items as soft plastics, tin cans, bottle tops, scrap metal, textiles and other items that would be headed for landfill.

Council is keen to get the message out that waste does not simply disappear once you put it in the bin, and Cr Mayor Doug Batten said the program itself teaches how small changes can have a huge impact on waste management in rural areas, where landfill space is a difficult challenge.

“Waste 2 Art is a fantastic example of our community coming together to think differently about waste. Every item that is reused or repurposed is one less item going into landfill, and that makes a real difference for the future of our Waste Facility,” said Cr Batten.

‘We’re fortunate to have the level of recycling services we do in a small community, and our Carlginda staff work hard to achieve that, but our waste facility is filling up, and there’s more we can all do to help reduce how quickly that happens.”

A 2025 winning entry for Waste 2 Art competition. [Image GSC].

Waste 2 Art competition includes categories for:

• Pre-school,

• Primary School,

• Secondary School,

• Community, and

• Open entries,

with sections for two-dimensional, three-dimensional and functional works.

Art works are to be completed and submitted to Council ahead of the Local Exhibition in May, held at Coo-ee Heritage & Visitor Information Centre Art Gallery.

Local winners will be awarded with prizes, with art works progressing to the Regional Showcase in Broken Hill.

Art works are to be completed and submitted to Council ahead of the Local Exhibition in May, held at Coo-ee Heritage & Visitor Information Centre Art Gallery. [Image CHVICAG]

It is all about awareness and shining a light on the difficulties associated with waste and the lifespan of landfill, according to Planning and Development Manager, Kristy Cosier.

“The theme this year is ‘Shrink your Footprint’ which is a key message for us all. Reusing and repurposing items are very important, however reducing the amount of waste we generate is even more key, which can be as simple as buying in bulk, or recyclable packaging.

“Waste 2 Art is a practical and fun way for the community to be part of that solution and encourages us to think a little more about our waste habits,” said Ms Cosier.

If you are struggling for inspiration why not start by looking at your household recycling bin or visiting one of our local community Op Shops for a feature piece.