Nemingha green thumb Meagan Owers is a cut above the rest with her entry for this year’s recycling artworks competition.
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Ms Owers rescued a derelict Victa lawn mower a couple of years ago while studying in Melbourne to be a teacher.
She worked on it on-and-off for months before carting it all the way home.
The green machine is one of what organisers hope will be a flood of entries for this year’s Waste > Art & Design Competition.
Ms Owers covered her lawn mower in synthetic grass to show off her green credentials – not to highlight how artificial turf could be a sustainable substitute for water-consuming real lawn but more to show up the beauty of the real thing when it comes to nature and our environment.
While it doesn’t actually work, it does run, but slowly.
Ms Owers hopes it might mow down the competition too, when it comes to this year’s awards. Or at least if she can find a sale for it, she’ll happily turn it over to a new owner.
The Waste > Art & Design Competition, run by Northern Inland Regional Waste, has been running for more than 10 years.
Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) hosts the local part of the competition.
“The focus of the competition, is to inspire and encourage recycling or reuse of items that could have potentially ended up in landfill and make them into something amazing,” council waste education officer Angela Dodson said.
The Owers work is titled It’s Not Always Greener and Meagan said she hoped through her work to highlight the beauty of the natural environment and the importance of preserving it.
“More and more people are preferring to exchange their real lawn with synthetic lawn as it ‘looks better’ and requires less maintenance,” she said.
“It may look nice and be a good imitation of lawn, but nothing can beat walking barefoot across juicy, green, natural grass!”
The Tamworth entries for this year’s competition will be on exhibition in the TRC head office at Ray Walsh House from September 2 for 10 days and exhibition visitors can vote for a People’s Choice Award.
The competition has a range of sections from kindergarten and before-school entries, primary and secondary school entries, to open community.
Each section has options, conditions of entries and themes. Entries need to be delivered to the TRC head officer, Ray Walsh House before 4pm on Friday, August 23.
The council website contains more information and entry forms.
Most of the winning entries from the Tamworth exhibition will progress to the Northern
Inland Waste Regional Exhibition at Gunnedah at the end of September.