“Waste not, want not” is a fine old phrase that our grandmothers might have said at one time to all of us, and this philosophy is behind a current exhibition that utilises recycled rubbish to inspire works of unique creativity.

For the next three months, Western Plains Cultural Centre will be displaying these one-off works as part of Dubbo Council’s annual Waste 2 Art exhibition.

The show this year features 69 artworks from creators ranging from students, community groups, and individual artists in the region and will be on display until Sunday, August 9.

Dubbo Photo News attended the exhibition's official opening on Saturday, May 9, where the winners and highly-commended recipients in each category were announced. These included:

• Early Childhood 2D – Preschool Possums – Community Kids Dubbo, “How Folklore Starts”

• Early Childhood 3D – Kookaburras JP – Community Kids Dubbo

• Early Childhood Functional – Kookaburra Room – Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre Dubbo

• Primary 2D – Dru Martinez, “Help! We are Drowning!”

• Primary 3D – Lola Houghton, “Lil Waste Warriors”

• Primary Functional – Rain, Gracie, Tyla, Charlotte, Sansa, Maddie & Willow May, “Totally ‘Sic’ Bag”

• High School 3D – Molly Jones, “Our Street”

• High School Functional – Year 9 – Central West Leadership Academy, “For the Future Generations”

• Community 2D – Ellen Scott, “Wildflowers and Last Days”

• Community 3D – Caroline Tarr, “Against the Tide”

• Community Functional – Bernadette Jump, “Vases”

• Open 2D – Margaret Lynch, “Box Office Wordage”

• Open 3D – Alan Stanger, “A Staple Diet”

• Open Functional – Margaret Lynch, “All Keyed Up”

Waste 2 Art encourages people to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” with a focus on behavioural change about things people throw away, with this year's exhibition focusing on the theme of “shrinking your footprint”, Dubbo mayor Josh Black revealed.

“There were so many great artworks, they definitely made it difficult for the judges to choose the winners,” Cr Black enthused.

“Waste 2 Art is such a great example of how creative people can be with items that are considered rubbish; this year’s exhibition is a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness of our community,” he concluded.