Woodcrest State School near Stockland’s Kalina Springfield community has come third in the annual Big Battery Rescue recycling challenge, having diverted close to 100 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. Woodcrest State School students were awarded $500 as an appreciation of their environmental achievements.

Australians create 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 and in collaboration with The National Theatre for Children, the Big Battery Rescue provides a solution to this growing challenge, teaching school kids about closing the loop and fostering sustainable recycling habits. Despite the impact of COVID, schools across the country together collected nearly one tonne of batteries, diverting these away from landfill to be recycled.

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

“We’re thrilled to see Woodcrest State School come third in 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 Franklin 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.

Just 31km from Brisbane’s CBD, Stockland’s $126 million master-planned Kalina Springfield community has been designed to create the perfect balance for those looking to escape busy city living, without sacrificing convenience.

Kallina provides easy access to a wealth of community hubs, with three childcare centres, four schools, Springfield Fair, Orion Springfield Central, medical facilities, the Mater Private Hospital and cutting edge sporting facilities within a five kilometre radius.