Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility Launches 2025 Community Art Show
/The Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility is delighted to launch its 2025 Community Art Show, celebrating the creativity and environmental awareness of young artists. Now open in the facility’s main reception area, the exhibition showcases all entries from last year’s Design a Mug competition, along with the winning designs, which have been printed onto mugs as a lasting tribute to the artists’ achievements.
Community art show
The 2024 competition invited children in Years 1-6, with a special category for young people aged up to 18 in SEND settings who possess English comprehension skills at Key Stage 1&2 levels, to submit designs that creatively represented the Four Rs of Waste – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover. Participants were encouraged to illustrate how these principles contribute to a more sustainable future, showcasing their ideas through original artwork. Community groups were also encouraged to take part, ensuring a wide range of participants had the opportunity to engage with important environmental themes.
The Four Rs of Waste – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover, provide a framework for sustainable waste management and environmental responsibility. Understanding these principles from a young age is essential in fostering lifelong habits that support a more sustainable future.
Reduce: The best way to manage waste is to prevent it from being created in the first place. Educating young people about mindful consumption, such as avoiding single-use plastics, choosing sustainable products, and reducing food waste, helps to limit the impact on the environment.
Reuse: Encouraging children to think creatively about reusing materials promotes a shift away from a disposable culture. Whether it’s repurposing old clothes, using refillable bottles, or donating unwanted items, reusing reduces waste and conserves resources.
Recycle: Teaching young people how and why to recycle correctly is vital for ensuring valuable materials, such as plastics, glass, and paper, are processed into new products rather than ending up in landfill. Understanding local recycling systems and contamination risks helps ensure materials are properly sorted and recycled.
Recover: Even when waste cannot be reused or recycled, it can still be used to generate energy. At the Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility, household residual waste is used to produce electricity, reducing the need for landfill and contributing to a more sustainable energy system. Helping young people understand this process shows them that waste, when managed correctly, can still have value.
By introducing these concepts through creative projects like the Design a Mug competition, young people are encouraged to think critically about waste and its impact on the planet. Engaging them in this conversation early on helps to build a generation that values sustainability, innovation, and environmental responsibility.
The Community Art Show is part of the facility’s broader commitment to education and community engagement, using creative initiatives to connect with local schools, community groups, and young people.
Melanie de la Torre Zamora, Community Relationship Manager, commented: “Our annual art show is a fantastic way to connect with the community and highlight the importance of sustainability through creativity. We received some absolutely fantastic designs last year, and it’s inspiring to see how young people interpret the Four Rs of Waste.
“Raising awareness about sustainability is important, and this competition helps start those conversations in a way that’s fun and engaging. We’re really pleased to be able to share these ideas with the wider community.”
Visitors are welcome to view the exhibition during the facility’s opening hours, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
Every year, the Facility runs a competition to inspire young people to think about waste and the environment. Look out for the 2025 competition: www.gloucestershireefw.co.uk/competition. It will be launched in September, with plans for something a little different this year!
