Brisbane City Council has unveiled the 12 winners of the 2024 WasteSMART Brisbane Awards at a ceremony in City Hall, celebrating those who have gone above and beyond to make Brisbane a clean and sustainable city.   

Now in its fifth year, the ‘WasteSMART’ momentum is growing with a record 402 nominations received for residents, community groups, businesses, early learning centres and schools tackling a wide variety of waste streams – from punctured inflatable pool toys and plastic lids to retired rock climbing gear and broken kids’ toys.

This year the awards expanded to include the Circular Threads and Hospitality & Tourism Award categories to acknowledge the crucial work many are doing to reduce, reuse and recycle food and textile waste.

Heritage Lanes took out the Hospitality & Tourism Award for its 6-star green rating and commitment to sorting 18 different waste streams by hand each night.

Love Me Again Markets won the Circular Threads Award for fostering circular fashion practices through their markets every Sunday in Milton and Stafford, and once a month in Hamilton, with around 1,250 preloved items re-homed each weekend.

An expert panel, including members from Brisbane Sustainability Agency (BSA), Containers for Change Queensland, Cleanaway, BYD Automotive and The University of Queensland judged the 32 finalists this year, with the exception of the WasteSMART People’s Choice Award which was voted on by the public with more than 3,000 votes cast.  

Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) claimed the coveted People’s Choice title, with a second win in the All-Star category for their ongoing commitment to waste prevention and reduction.

Over the last financial year QCH’s 334 Green team members along with the help of the entire workforce of 5,500 diverted over 500,000 kilograms of health care waste through its 41 recycling streams.

The WasteSMART Brisbane Awards were proudly delivered by Brisbane Sustainability Agency and sponsored by Containers for Change Queensland, Cleanaway, BYD Automotive and The University of Queensland.