Waste & Recycling
Even though many people recycle - our economy and society still waste a lot of resources that could be re-used and made into new products. To meet insatiable public demand, industry has developed an excessive 'convenience culture'. TEC is pushing for manufacturers to take responsibility and government to take action, as well as working with the recyclers and the community to advance a zero waste society.
COKE CHOKES ON ITS OWN LITTER
- Created on Monday, 04 March 2013 14:47
Eight policemen threatened to arrest eight bags of Coca Cola plastic bottle litter and three mild mannered gentlemen from the respectable end of the environment movement, outside the office of Coca Cola Amatil in Sydney this morning, said TEC.
NSW RECYCLING STRATEGY – BIG MOVE, MORE TO COME
- Created on Saturday, 23 February 2013 11:40
The NSW Government’s ’Waste Less, Recycle More’ program is a welcome big policy with significant funding, but will require additional key elements to stay afloat, Total Environment Centre said today.
More about the Film
- Created on Thursday, 17 January 2013 18:07
In the two years since it was completed Waste Not has met with extraordinary success: screening on Qantas international inflight entertainment; acquired by corporations such as the NAB and Fujitsu, as well as hundreds of universities, schools and local councils.
Waste Not was nominated for two ATOM awards in 2012, won Best Documentary Film, St Kilda Film Festival 2011; Best Cinematography World Of Women Film Festival 2012,
Highly Commended at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2011 and WOW Film Festival 2012, and was nominated Best Short Film, Best Environment Film, Byron Bay Film Festival and Reel Life Film Festival 2012, New Zealand.
Waste Not has been translated into Spanish and Turkish, and has screened at 25 International Film Festivals from Istanbul to Dungog to Paris, Barcelona, and Los Angeles, from Korea to Costa Rica. It was screened for a second time in Parliament House, Sydney on March 7th 2012 and was introduced by the honourable Prue Goward, Minister for Women.
Waste Not's interactive educational website will launch for Back To School 2013. It provides innovative and comprehensive learning ideas for highschool students studying Geography, Science, Art and English, and also features a History of Waste, and long form interviews with all the Waste Not heroes from the film. It was funded through the Documentary Australia Foundation by the Pratt and Myer Foundations.
Contact TEC if you wish to purchase (for unlimited showings fees vary for business, government, councils and schools) or hire (fees vary according to number of showings). Email the completed licence:
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or fax: 02 9211 5033. Ph: 02 9211 5022
TEC's award winning documentary film, Waste Not, was funded by a City of Sydney Environment Grant in 2010, to explore how recycling will play a big role in transitioning Australians to a new green economic paradigm. It has been described as "the first environment film I’ve seen which hasn’t made me want to run from the cinema screaming 'We are all going to die!'" (Carla Khoo, Manager of Environmental Communications and Engagement, National Australia Bank)
Famed filmmaker and environmentalist Annie Leonard says:
"Waste Not is an incredibly important film. It makes the invisible visible. It puts real faces on the many people and systems working in the otherwise hidden world of waste management - a world which touches all our lives yet seldom enters our thoughts. Even more importantly, it goes beyond waste management, beyond extolling the virtues of recycling, to propose a solution both radical and simple: we need to stop using so much stuff. We need to get off this consumer frenzied take-make-waste treadmill and create a better way to live - more sustainably, more healthy and way more fun. Congratulations to Total Environment Center for charting the way forward!"
Elsewhere the response to Waste Not has been phenomenal. The sheer beauty of the film, along with its emotional punch has caught the recycling and waste communities by surprise and has elicited a strong response from people outside the industry. The film has been acquired by Qantas for both its domestic and international inflight program, and corporations such as the NAB and Fujitsu are using the film for staff engagement. Waste Not has been picked up by Ronin Films for distribution to the education sector, and TEC is now pushing its positive message about the future out into the community through local councils.
Waste Not was written and directed by TEC’s Communication Director, Ruth Hessey (named one of Sydney's Top 100 Most Inspiring, Creative, Influential people 2011 by Fairfax's sydney magazine). The film was developed in consultation with City of Sydney waste unit staff. TEC engaged Sophie Alstergren to produce the film which was executive produced by Jeff Angel, with Associate Producer Jane Castle. Ruth and Sophie liaised with Helen Bradley at City of Sydney to ensure the concept for Waste Not developed according to CoS guidelines. The film was shot on location in Sydney at Global Renewables, two VISY depots, and Simms, the South Sydney Waste Depot in Zetland, and the CSIRO. High production values, and feature film creatives were employed, with the talented composer Peter Fenton providing the original soundscore. Bonnie Elliott shot the film, which was edited by Aden Young (with additional editing by Lindi Harrison). Subsequent to the completion of the documentary, City of Sydney commissioned several ‘webisodes' amplifying key themes in Waste Not, which were delivered in March 2011.
Waste Not has been accepted into more than 25 international film festivals, from Dungog to Paris to Los Angeles, and most recently Turkey, Costa Rica, Korea, and New Zealand. Waste Not was also accepted into the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.
City of Sydney Mayor Clover Moore officially launched Waste Not at Parliament House on April 7th, 2011. Refreshments for the evening, in the form of individual boxes of edible flowers, herbs and carob, were generously provided by Tetsuya’s head chef Luke Powell, one of the heroes of Waste Not. In keeping with the theme of sustainbility TEC served tea made with sprigs of Lemon Scented Tea Tree, and Rosemary, tied with Lemon Grass leaves, which were made by TEC staff.
A bouquet of lemon tea tree and other Australian natives, some of it supplied by Michael Mobbs from his Chippendale street gardens, was presented to the Lord Mayor, and the new state Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, who changed her schedule to attend the launch. Several members of cast and crew attended, including the composer Peter Fenton, editor Aden Young, and stars of the film Bianca Nogrady, Ben Kusto, and Bisso Rebigo. Artists such as Jenny Kee, Louise Fowler-Smith, Anne Zahalka, Olivia Martin-Maguire, and Janet Laurence, also attended.
An ABC news crew covered the launch and the ABC’s award winning environment reporter filed a news piece which ran on ABC News, ABC midday, and 24 News.
“Waste Not is not a romance or a thriller, but this film has a powerful message!” Sarah Clarke, ABC TV Environment Reporter.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, has said that this documentary gives a real insight into what happens to the things we throw away, and how we can start reducing our waste.
“Imagine what it will be like in five years when Sydney’s rubbish tips reach capacity - all our rubbish will have to be freighted two hundred and fifty kilometers to a new tip, which will cost more and produce more carbon pollution.”
“We all need to come up with new ways to recycle and reuse goods, so we can stop them going into landfill,” she said.
“We are all in this together,” TEC director Jeff Angel said. “And luckily there is already an army of truck drivers, scientists, environmentalists, gardeners and even a famous chef, working to transform the mountains of stuff we throw away into something valuable again.”
The film includes interviews with Sustainable House author and expert, Michael Mobbs, Bianca Nogrady (co-author the Sixth Wave), James Bradfield Moody (Director Creative Development, CSIRO), Narelle Mantle (General Manager, Reverse Garbage), Kumar Radhakrishnan (CEO Simms), and nine others working in waste.
“WASTE NOT was designed to inspire people to feel very hopeful about the future and how we can all save the planet by starting in our backyards,” said Waste Not director, Ruth Hessey (Communications Director TEC).
Action demanded on excess packaging
- Created on Tuesday, 11 December 2012 12:04
It’s not just about counting your food miles this Christmas, said Total Environment Centre today. We are wasting the planet’s resources just moving excess packaging from one place to another.
CONTAINER DEPOSITS – QLD MINISTER OUT OF STEP
- Created on Friday, 24 August 2012 17:06
Australia’s environment ministers have today taken a big step towards introducing a national container deposits system (CDS) although QLD seems to have backed the wrong horse.
