The new face at Council: Sort-It Sally joins the Waste Education Team

3 June 2021

Southern Downs Regional Council is thrilled to introduce the newest member of its Waste Education Team, Sort-It Sally!

As the mascot of Council’s free waste education program Let’s sort it out Southern Downs!, Sort-It Sally plays 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 today landed 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 it was really cool to meet the person he created.

“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,” Levi said.

When quizzed as to how he settled on her name, he said that through the waste education program they learnt that it 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 today confirmed Council’s commitment to innovative and sustainable waste strategies and said Sort-It Sally was an excellent spokesperson to encourage changes to waste behaviour at the grass roots level.

“Minimising waste is everyone’s business. We have finite human, financial and natural resources and it is important to instil good recycling and waste practices in our children from a young age,” Mayor Pennisi said.

“It is concerning that 50 per cent of our household waste comes from food scraps which end up in our landfill when it doesn’t need to be there.

“As a community, we need to reduce excess and unnecessary waste to prolong the life of our landfill and Council’s waste education program focuses on the importance of reducing waste at home and how recycling positively impacts the environment.

“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.”

Council’s Let’s Sort it Out Southern Downs! waste education program represents the stories of the local communities and through Sort-It Sally, humanises the waste issues we encounter every day.