Orange did not win the big award but it still came away from the Keep Australia Beautiful National Tidy Towns’ awards with two wins and a highly commended award on Friday night.
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Orange was awarded the top prize in the Dame Phyllis Frost Litter Prevention, Waste Management and Resource Recovery category.
The city was also a joint winner for Environmental Sustainability, along with this year’s national winner, Smithton in Tasmania.
The highly commended award was presented to young Orange environmental activist Bailey Dickinson-Bubb in the Young Legends’ category.
The awards were presented in the South Australian town of Barmera, which won last year’s national Tidy Town award.
Orange deputy mayor Joanne McRae was among the Orange delegation and said it was the largest town in the national competition and it was an opportunity to see what other towns were doing well and share ideas.
Cr McRae said when waste management is done will it’s almost invisible and the award was a good reminder of why it is so important.
“There aren’t many regional councils that have invested in a weekly household kitchen and garden waste collection, and who then take the extra step of locally turning that waste into industrial quantities of compost.”
She said a national win in the Environmental Sustainability category is another sign that Orange is getting things right in looking after the environment on the long-term, particularly with its four constructed wetlands.
The wetlands are part of a pioneering stormwater harvesting scheme and along with making a significant contribution to the city’s water supply, also add corridors of bushland among residential areas.
Orange mayor Reg Kidd said the awards were a fantastic result for Orange and don’t just happen without years of hard work by keen community members supported by council staff.
“We are always looking at continuous improvement, and this is shown in this recognition for our waste management and progress in better environment sustainability,” Cr Kidd said.