June 6, 2019
Taabinga State School teachers are hoping to create a new community garden at their school and South Burnett residents can help … by donating their used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.
Toothbrushes?
Principal Anja Janosevic said the school had joined the Colgate Community Garden Challenge to recycle “oral care” waste.
This includes old toothbrushes, empty toothpaste and toothbrush packaging, empty floss packets and used toothpaste tubes.
Taabinga State School hopes to win one of five recycled community garden sets up for grabs, each worth more than $6000.
One unit of oral care waste (ie. about 9g) equals 10 Garden Credits in the competition.
Schools can also earn extra Garden Points through online votes which will be open until September 30.
The three schools which accrue the most Garden Points – based on the weight of the total amount of shipments and the total number of votes – will each win a community garden set.
Schools will also receive one entry in the final prize draw for a chance to win one of two garden sets.
The competition is being organised by TerraCycle, a recycling company that Taabinga State School has teamed with in a bid to help make the school and local community as sustainable as possible.
Ms Janosevic said TerraCycle allowed the school community to recycle items that regular recycling schemes won’t take.
This included used Postpaks, beauty products, biscuit and snack bar wrappers, and office waste, including pencils, pens, paperclips, staplers and whiteboard markers.
The school is registered in several TerraCycle recycling schemes, but the Colgate Community Garden “oral care” challenge is its key focus at present.
Teachers Shaque Dugdell and Steph Tognola are co-ordinating the project and have already gained support from parents and the South Burnett Dental Group.
They’re now hoping more people, including local businesses and community groups, will jump on board to support the school and start collecting items.
Taabinga State School is currently sitting in 20th place on the Garden Challenge leaderboard.
“We would love for the whole community to collect oral waste items and drop them off to the school,” Ms Janosevic said.
“We are a small school so we certainly need community support.
“If the community gets behind us it will make a big difference.”
Voting online for Taabinga State School will also help the school reach its target.
- To cast a vote visit the TerraCycle website
