Port and South Hedland win WA Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards

Port and South Hedland have been named WA’s tidiest town with a win at the WA Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards on November 29. At a ceremony at Optus Stadium in Perth, Port and South Hedland, which were also finalists in several other categories, won the overall award, having most recently been named the State winner in 2012. The town was also a finalist in the heritage and culture, waste management, Containers for Change and young legends categories, reflecting the community’s strong environmental and community engagement focus. Over the past year, the town of Port Hedland has partnered with Care for Hedland to implement the actions outlined in the town’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy. The partnership was also dedicated to implementing water efficiency initiatives, with the town using 17,472 kilolitres of recycled water for dust suppression and combating fire emergencies at landfill sites during 2023-24. A group of 100 volunteers from Port and South Hedland’s Adopt-a-Spot program collectively removed 367kg of litter, while the Containers For Change program returned 9.8 million containers to the refund centre, significantly reducing landfill waste. Climate Action Minister Reece Whitby congratulated all entrants, finalists and winners on setting such an inspirational example. “They stand as a testament to the dedication regional and remote communities show towards making WA a more sustainable place to live,” he said. Port and South Hedland will now represent WA at the National Tidy Town Awards, which will be held in Victoria in May.