WRAP

Waste as Recycled Art Project (WRAP)

The Waste as Recycled Art Project (WRAP) commenced in 2004 and finished in 2011. In that time, 7,728 students participated in the Project which encouraged students to think of waste as a resource.

WRAP aimed to encourage primary school students, in years 3 and 4, in the Eastern Riverina to consider the environment and the benefits of recycling and re-use. Students created the artwork from a small box of clean waste purchased from Reverse Garbage, this ensured that each students received similar if not exactly the same waste resources to create their artwork.

All schools in the REROC region were invited to participate each year. During the last year the the project ran in  2011, 20 schools and over 850 students from 10 LGA’s participatied in the project.

Students were given four weeks, during the month of August, to make their artworks which then went onto a local exhibition. Students were required to adhere to Artwork Guidelines when creating their artworks. Some guidelines include that they can only use materials from the box, they didn't have to use everything and that they may paint, glue, colour the materials but no glitter!

Each member council held a local exhibition, which in 2011 was held from 5 – 14 September where 125 of these artworks were then selected to participate in the Regional Exhibition.

The Regional Exhibition for 2011 was held in the foyer (opposite the Library) at Wagga Wagga City Council during the first week of the school holidays, Monday 26 September to Friday 30 September. Prizes were awarded to the winning student which included an artist workshop at the School to the value of $500 donated by Eastern Riverina Arts. The 3 winners all received a 72 set of Derwent Artist Pencils, with the winner receiving their pencils in a wooden box set.

From 2009 - 2011 schools who participated were also offered the opportunity to host a waste education workshop on reduce, reuse, recycle in conjunction with WRAP. There workshops were very well recieved by both the students and the schools.

Unfortunately 2011 was the last year that the WRAP project was held. The project was very successful and created some amazing artworks however due to dwindling numbers over the years and the project being viewed as more of an art project than a waste avoidance project the decision was made that 2011 would be the last year the project was held.