Creative Circularity, Frankston City Council's Tidy Towns finalist entry in Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education

5,000+ people. 672 garments rehomed. 336kg of textiles kept out of landfill. Three giant puppets built from recycled junk.

That's Creative Circularity, Frankston City Council's Tidy Towns finalist entry in Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education, and proof that sustainability messaging doesn't have to be earnest to work. It just has to be interesting.

Instead of another pamphlet, Frankston built circular economy principles into things people already show up for: festivals, exhibitions, libraries, film nights. Golden Scissor Puppets' Cryptids, three enormous creatures made from 90% recycled material, drew 3,500 festival-goers. A Wearable Canvas exhibition of couture made from waste pulled in 2,000 more. The Great South Side Women's Clothing Exchange rehomed 672 garments (an estimated 9,341kg of CO2 saved) and sent a further 170 items to Dress for Success. Add a slow fashion speaker series, a documentary screening, a storytelling series on Sweetwater Creek, roughly 1,000 single-use cups replaced through a BetterCups trial, and 39+ refills through pop-up stalls, and you've got a program that's less "campaign," more cultural shift.

The goal was never to lecture people into sustainability. It was to make it something they'd choose to attend, wear, watch and talk about. What Council learned along the way: people who'd never sit through a sustainability seminar will queue for a giant recycled puppet, and that's exactly the entry point worth designing for.

The X-factor: sustainability you can see, touch, wear and remember, measured in kilograms of CO2 as much as in queues at the puppet parade.

Meet all the finalists here: https://www.kabvic.org.au/post/meet-the-2026-tidy-towns-and-cities-sustainability-awards-finalists

#TidyTowns #KeepAustraliaBeautifulVic #Frankston #CircularEconomy