Bridgetown institution is in the running to be crowned WA’s best regional waste warrior

A Bridgetown institution is in the running to be crowned WA’s best regional waste warrior. Bridgetown’s Containers for Change team is in the running for the WasteSorted awards 2025 in the WA regional category. The team is one of 39 finalists named across 10 categories in the annual awards hosted by the Waste Authority, which celebrate people and projects that encourage avoidance, reuse, repair or recycling of waste. Projects shortlisted in 2025 include donations of refurbished goods to people in need, initiatives to reduce single-use plastics on mine sites and local government programs that help residents avoid waste through repair labs and sustainable fashion events. Bridgetown’s Containers for Change operator Iggy Van said it was great to have his team recognised for their hard work. Mr Van took on the role of operator in July last year and has expanded his reach to cover much of the region. “We’re part of a tiny little community with just over 5000 people living in Bridgetown and when I took on the contract on first of July, what I found was that the people in town were somewhat disengaged from the Containers For Change program,” he said. Instead of giving up, Mr Van asked what could be done better. “We’ve gone from a rather disengaged community to a very engaged community, where we had a growth of 64 per cent over the last year of returned containers,” he said. “We went from 1.2 million containers the year prior to just under 2 million containers. “When I took it on, I said it would be good if we can get 1.2 million containers, so 1.9 million containers is a fantastic outcome, and that’s just because the community has more say. “We looked at the figures, and we’ve almost got 70 per cent of the community who have actually utilised the Containers for Change scheme.” Mr Van has been able to give back to the community through the program, supporting jobs, giving 10 cent bins to community groups as well as sponsoring the Blues at Bridgetown event and taking care of waste separation. WA Waste Authority chair Elizabeth Carr congratulated this year’s finalists for their inspiring contributions to Western Australia’s waste sector. “Their work reflects a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation,” she said. “The WasteSorted Awards continue to highlight practical, community-driven solutions that help make landfill the last resort and drive change that is aligned with Western Australia’s waste strategy. “These projects are leading the way as we progress towards a low-waste, circular economy.”

Bridgetown institution is in the running to be crowned WA’s best regional waste warrior

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Everyday Digital

Everyday Digital + Weekend Papers