Maitland wins Keep NSW Beautiful Blue Star Overall Regional Sustainability Award

The annual Tidy Town awards have been renamed the Keep NSW Beautiful Blue Star Overall Regional Sustainability Award, so Maitland is officially a Blue Star city.

The Glebe Cemetery received first place in the cultural heritage award section, Grossmann High School received a highly commended in the community environment achievement award category and St Joseph’s Primary School received a highly commended in the going green education awards category. 

Maitland councillor Steve Procter, who accepted the award at the ceremony in Orange, said it was an “honour and a relief when they called our name”. He said the city had been chasing the accolade for 30 years. 

The judges said Maitland was the best overall performer and the city had grasped the concept of sustainability and were leading the way, despite challenges from its strong population growth. 

“This award is something that Maitland has come so close to winning in the past and the fact that we have done it this year is testament to everyone involved especially the people of Maitland, who play a role in keeping our city so beautiful,” Cr Procter said. 

Maitland will host next year’s awards ceremony and will compete for the national Blue Star accolade next year. The Blue Star awards focus on sustainability and responsible environmental management.