House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Waste Recycling WASTE RECYCLING Mr PICCOLO House of Assembly Light WASTE RECYCLING Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. What is the state government doing to help schools and community groups recycle their waste? The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly Cheltenham Minister for Environment and Conservation Minister for Early Childhood Development Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management WASTE RECYCLING The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for his question and acknowledge that, as mayor of Gawler, he played a very important role in promoting recycling within his town. Educating students and their community about waste management is a key factor in reducing South Australia's waste to landfill. That is why $123,825 will be distributed to schools and community groups through our Wipe Out Waste program. This is in addition to the $155,000 the government announced in November last year as part of National Recycling Week. Schools and community groups will receive this funding to implement waste management tools, including composting and community recycling depots. Primary Schools and high schools have been allocated funding, and their initiatives range from vegetable gardens and chicken runs to a recycling and sorting facility. Those funds have been allocated in this way: Gawler High School received $15,400 for a sorting shed and trailer to extend the variety of goods that are recycled amongst the school community; Unley High School received $3,290 for signage, garden carts and recycled plastic benches; and Cowandilla Primary School received $9,499 for a sorting shed and composting project. Three community organisations have also been awarded grants to improve their recycling operations: the Milang Environmental Centre has been allocated $18,704 to construct a new carport to store and process recyclables; the James Well and Rogues Point Progress Association received $12,282 to construct a shed to increase opportunities for residents to recycle; and Dreamsafe Recycling SA has been awarded $20,000 to buy a spring compactor to improve the safety and handling of scrap metal removed while stripping mattresses for recycling. In this way, we are trying to promote the vital way in which schools and community groups recycle.