At first glance, it’s just a waste bin.
But this bin has travelled a remarkable journey.
It began life in service, collecting waste across the Pilbara. When it reached the end of that chapter, instead of becoming waste itself, it was brought back to North West Alliance for a second life.
That second life became an opportunity for people. As part of North West Alliance’s eight-week Work Crew training program, local First Nation participants learned practical workplace skills by refurbishing bins like this one. They stripped, repaired, prepared and restored it, gaining hands-on experience, and confidence while giving new life to something that otherwise may have been discarded.
Then the bin became a canvas for another Pilbara story.
Featuring Benny Bungarra and his friends; Olive Python, Colin Crow, and Kathy Kangaroo from Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean-up children’s book, the artwork celebrates a story created by Palyku authors and illustrators Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina. The book, which forms the heart of North West Alliance’s waste education Storytime program, teaches children how litter affects the native animals of the Pilbara and encourages everyone to Care for Country.
The connection runs even deeper. Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina are members of the Palyku families from Emu Nest, whose Traditional Owners are part owners of North West Alliance. This means the story on the bins is not just an artwork, it is a Pilbara story, created by Pilbara authors and illustrators, shared through a local First Nation owned business, and returned to the Pilbara where it belongs.
At FeNaClNG Festival another chapter was written.
Children, their families, and community members came together to add their own colours and creativity, transforming the bin into a community artwork. Every colourful mark represents a shared commitment to looking after our environment and taking pride in the places we live.
When the bin is complete, it won’t be displayed in a gallery. It will go back to work. Placed at one of our client sites, it will continue doing what it was built to do: helping people dispose of waste responsibly. But now, every time someone uses it, they’ll be reminded that waste has value, people have potential, stories connect communities, and Caring for Country is something we all share.
This is more than a refurbished bin. It’s a story of circular economy, First Nation employment, cultural storytelling, environmental education and community pride all coming together to show that when we invest in people, Country and community, everyone benefits.
