Keep Australia Beautiful NSW (KABNSW) has announced City of Canada Bay as the overall winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW 2021 Sustainable Cities Awards on Thursday 20 January 2022.
Running in NSW since 1994, the Sustainable Cities program sets out to recognise and celebrate positive actions taken by councils, community groups, businesses, schools, and individuals in metropolitan areas to protect and enhance their local environments. They encompass initiatives as diverse as litter prevention, recycling, resource recovery, protection of the environment, preserving heritage and indigenous culture, community action, leadership, education, and social well-being programs.
The 2021 awards program is proudly supported by NSW EPA, Return & Earn, and the Northern Beaches Council.
Val Southam, KAB NSW CEO, is very proud of the Sustainable Cities Awards’ history.
“We are very excited to celebrate the fantastic achievements and spirit of communities and Councils, which remain strong during such difficult and challenging times,” said Ms Southam.
“These awards instil optimism and highlight positive outcomes even during times of hardship.
“This year’s Overall winner, City of Canada Bay, has set new benchmarks for sustainability, especially in engaging and empowering community to work collaboratively with Council to enhance the entire Canada Bay Local Government Area.”
Peter Clark, 2021 Sustainable Cities Awards judge, congratulated City of Canada Bay on delivering a range of diverse, well considered and executed programs that actively engaged the community.
“These programs enable Council to effectively manage the myriad of sustainability and environmental challenges for decades to come,” explained Mr Clark.
“Through its excellent initiatives and programs, City of Canada Bay continues to showcase the importance of communities and Council working collaboratively to achieve common goals and connections across diverse and important range of issues.”
Sustainable Cities Winners and Highly Commended table 2021
| CATEGORY | WINNER | HIGHLY COMMENDED |
| Resource Recovery & Waste Minimisation (Sponsored by NSW EPA) |
FOGO Stops Food Waste Going to Landfill Randwick City Council |
Illegal Dumping Smart Data & Technology Bayside CouncilAddi Road Food Pantries Addison Road Community Organisation (Inner West) |
| Litter Prevention (Sponsored by NSW EPA) |
Clean-Up Eco Tour Sydney By Kayak (North Sydney) |
Spring into Scavenge Leadership Program Seaside Scavenge (Inner West) |
| Return and Earn Litter Prevention (Sponsored by Return & Earn) |
Towards Zero Waste at our Return & Earn SCRAP Ltd (Liverpool) |
Bottle and Can Recycling Project Lucas Heights Community School (Sutherland) |
| Circular Economy | Let’s Go ‘Swap and Go’ Northern Beaches Council |
Recycled Roads in Waverley Waverley Council |
| Communication & Engagement | FOGO Small Change, Big Difference Randwick City Council |
Wildflower Garden Nature Play Strategy Ku-ring-gai Council |
| Community Spirit & Inclusion | Skipping the Skip Auburn Hospital Recycling Team (Cumberland) |
Garden to Kitchen to Compost Series Sustainable Future – City of Canterbury Bankstown |
| Habitat & Wildlife Conservation | Mason Park Wetlands Renewal Strathfield Municipal Council |
Valuing Our Wetlands – Pughs Lagoon Hawkesbury Environment Network |
| Heritage & Culture | Ku-ring-gai Heritage Festival Ku-ring-gai Council |
|
| Recycled Organics | ShareWaste ShareWaste (Sydney) |
CB City Chickens and Food Waste Trial Sustainable Future – City of Canterbury Bankstown |
| Renewable Energy | Western Sydney Green Gas Project Jemena (Fairfield) |
Northern Beaches Goes Renewable Northern Beaches Council |
| Response to Climate Change | A Greener Place Strathfield Municipal Council |
UV Smart Cool Playground: Memorial Park Cumberland Council |
| School’s Achievement | Kurmond’s War On Waste! Kurmond Public School (Hawkesbury) |
Bird /Bee Highway /Bush Tucker Garden Regentville Public School (Penrith)Let’s Go for Clean and Green! The Hills School (Parramatta) |
| Waterways & Marine Protection (Joint) (Sponsored by Ocean Protect) |
Integrated Water Management Strategy Wollondilly Shire CouncilA Helping Hand for our Smelly Friends Hornsby Shire Council Natural Resources Branch |
|
| Young Legends | Vaughn’s Return and Earn Fundraiser Vaughn V. Arambatzis (Georges River) |
The Gers Bottle Project The Gers Bottle Project (Ku-ring-gai) |
| OVERALL SUSTAINABLE CITIES AWARD | |
| Finalist | Bayside Council |
| Finalist | Blacktown Council |
| Finalist | City of Canterbury Bankstown |
| Finalist | Hawkesbury City Council |
| Finalist | Hornsby Shire Council |
| Finalist | Inner West Council |
| Finalist | Ku-ring-gai Council |
| Finalist | Randwick City Council |
| Finalist | Strathfield Council |
| Winner | City of Canada Bay |