Southern Downs Regional Council, Queensland, has a new member of its Waste Education Team, Sort-It Sally!
As mascot of Council’s free waste education program Let’s sort it out Southern Downs!, Sort-It Sally will play an instrumental role in supporting and empowering early childhood and primary school students on their journey towards sustainable waste management behaviour and reducing their household waste footprint.
In her crusade to change waste behaviour, Sort-It Sally has jam-packed schedule of school visits and one of her first was at Applethorpe State Primary School where one student was particularly keen to meet her.
Sort-It Sally has young Levi Morello to thank for her fitting name. Last year during Recycling Week, Levi won the region-wide competition to name Council’s waste mascot.
An avid recycler, Levi said, “I’m really excited. I think it’s really cool how the person I created actually came to my school and I got to see who I created and I got to have a photo with her and the Mayor.”
When quizzed as to how he settled on her name, Levi said that through the waste education program they learnt it was important to put rubbish in the right bins when recycling.
“It’s alliteration and it makes sense.”
Applethorpe State Primary School has been an active participant in Council’s waste education program and this year developed and implemented a waste management plan as part of the Let’s Sort it Out Schools! program.
Southern Downs Mayor, Vic Pennisi said Sort-It Sally was an excellent spokesperson to encourage changes to waste behaviour at the grass roots level.
“Education around waste management at a grass roots level with fun and interactive engagement is a great way to engage young minds on the subject and is yet another way forward to securing our region’s sustainability.”
