Recycling Week initiative at Port Macquarie

Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie is helping to reduce and recycle waste plastic on the Mid North Coast by embarking on a collaborative Three Phase Sustainability Project with local organisations to minimise waste plastics in the community and the environment. The project incorporates sustainability and innovation practices and education, a public lecture series, and hands-on workshops with both the community and students of all ages to come together to create a circular economy of precious plastics. For example, in a powerful exploration series presentation on Plastic Solutions and Circular Economy Principles for Regional and Remote Communities, leading plastic educator, zoologist, and science teacher Louise Hardman in partnership with Sustainability at Charles Sturt discussed the global plastic crisis, how attitudes create waste and cause pollution, and solutions for remote and regional communities struggling with plastic pollution to design out waste and use regenerative systems to set up a local action plan for communities. Together with local social entrepreneur and teacher Lloyd Godson, Charles Sturt embarked on a 20-week face-to-face on-campus innovation and education program that sought to equip future leaders with creative and critical problem-solving skills to formulate solutions to create a world worth living in with sustainability principles at the core of their learning.