Newport school wins grand prize in Stockland national battery recycling challenge

Hercules Road State School near Stockland’s Newport community has won the national grand prize in the annual Big Battery Rescue recycling challenge. The school diverted nearly 200 kilograms of batteries from landfill during the 2020 school year. 

As part of the national challenge, students collected used batteries from home and across their community, dropping them into their school-based battery recycling buckets. Hercules Road State School was awarded $1,000 as an appreciation of its environmental achievements.

Australians generate 3,300 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste each year and that figure grows by 20 per cent yearly, largely driven by a lack of education or available resources explaining how consumers can dispose of them correctly .

Sponsored by Stockland Newport and in collaboration with The National Theatre for Children, the Big Battery Rescue provides a solution to the growing waste challenge, teaching school kids about closing the loop and fostering sustainable recycling habits. Schools across the country together collected nearly one tonne of batteries, diverting these away from landfill to be recycled.

Blair Britton, Stockland Senior Development Manager at Stockland, said initiatives like Big Battery Rescue helped create meaningful change within Stockland communities.

“We’re thrilled to see Hercules Road State School take out the top gong at the Big Battery Rescue challenge – a testament to our commitment to nurturing young minds and educating them about the circular economy to help them form environmentally sustainable habits,” Mr Britton said.

“As one of Australia’s largest property developers and a world leader in sustainability, we’re always looking for new ways to offset our climate impact, and educate our residents – big and small – along the way. 

“The Big Battery Rescue recycling challenge is a terrific community-wide sustainability project and one of the many Stockland initiatives working towards achieving our Net Zero Carbon emissions target by 2028.”

All participating schools also received a free educational program, including live-in-school educational theatre performances of The Energized Guyz and The Battery Bandit by professional actors from The National Theatre for Children. Schools also received student workbooks, teacher guides, infographic posters and digital games and activities that align with the important educational concepts.

Situated adjacent to scenic Moreton Bay and close to Redcliffe’s beaches, Stockland’s $590 million, 143-hectare coastal Newport community is surrounded by nature with multiple lakefront parks and walking tracks.

Stockland Newport provides residents with an easy connection to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, making it the perfect spot for families looking to have it all.