A joint initiative between Cessnock, Port Stephens and Maitland councils, the program called on Year 7 and 8 students to get creative and write a film script and storyboard for a 60-second TV commercial about waste reduction.

The ultimate goal of the commercial is to help shift the way the community thinks about waste and encourage people to change their behaviour and the amount of waste they generate.

As finalists, the teams from Kurri Kurri and St Philip’s had their storyboards professionally filmed and both are now live on the Waste Ops website for public viewing and voting.

Kurri Kurri High’s entry, ‘Cut the Plastic’, focuses on the importance of reusable shopping bags.

St Philip’s Cessnock’s short film, ‘Keep Calm’, highlights pollution in our waterways.

Cessnock mayor Bob Pynsent said he is proud of the students’ efforts and is calling on the community to jump online and vote for their favourite commercial.

“The students have done a fantastic job in getting the waste messages across, so let’s show our support by going to the Waste Ops website and voting,” he said.

Voting closes October 30 at www.wasteops.com.au.

The winning commercial will be announced on November 7. The winning school will receive a grand prize of $1000 to go towards a school project of their choice.