OCT/NOV 2025 ISSUE 128
08 Infrastructure woes 24 Energy from waste 28 Simple solutions for waste challenges
Australia’s circular economy push takes shape By Inside Waste Well-run waste transfer stations are a key piece of infrastructure, but they have to run efficiently otherwise they create a choke point. Image: JuroX/shutterstock.com
Practical solutions to NSW’s waste management challenges By Inside Waste
PP: 100024538
ISSN 1837-5618
NSW’s waste system is creaking under the weight of rapid growth, rising costs and an approvals regime that few on the frontline consider fit for purpose. In a candid panel moderated by Brett Lemin, executive director of WCRA, four industry and local government leaders set out where the pressure is building most, why previous course corrections failed to take hold, and what practical steps could avert a crunch by 2030. The panel comprised Richard Collins, associate technical director at Arcadis Australia; Katherine Whitfield, chief growth officer at Veolia; Damien Vella, CEO of Breen Resources; and Steven Head, GM of Hornsby Shire Council. The tone was frank from the outset. The panel discussed everything from putrescible capacity and the scarcity of inert landfill, to the fragility of transfer station networks and the absence of a geographically grounded plan. The recurring motif was the lack of certainty around most issues, and the way it seeps into pricing, deters investment and ultimately lands on the rates notice.
Pressure points across the chain Ask five practitioners where the system is most strained and you will hear five answers that overlap but do not fully align. Each segment of the chain is feeling its own acute pinch, and those localised constraints are now compounding one another. Collins said that transfer station constraints are the hidden choke points that hold back efficient, costeffective movement of waste and limit competition. In his view, they are not simply another waypoint in the network but a determinant of whether the network can breathe at all. Whitfield saw the most pressing risk in putrescible capacity, warning of a looming shortfall by 2030 and expressing frustration that large energy from waste proposals remain stuck in planning. Her call was for diversity: landfill as part of a broader mix, not the only answer. Vella focused on the inert stream. (Continued on page 8)
Australia’s commitment to doubling circularity by 2035 is beginning to take form through a suite of strategies, policies and frameworks designed to shift the nation from a linear take-make-waste model towards one that regenerates and retains value in materials. Speaking at a national circular economy session at the ReGen Expo, panellists outlined the coordinated efforts now underway across government, industry and standards bodies. Dr Nicole Garofano, head of circular economy at Planet Ark, opened the session by highlighting two major enablers identified in national reports: consistent and harmonised regulations, and access to high-quality information. According to Garofano, a lack of visibility into circular strategies and limited executive engagement in business culture are key barriers that must be overcome. To that end, the session brought together Chloe Bird, Emelia Addo-Appiah and Christie Rourke to explore how governance structures, standards and business guidance are aligning to create momentum. Each speaker provided insight from their sector on how policies, standards and corporate engagement can help accelerate Australia’s shift to a circular model.
A national direction for circularity Chloe Bird, branch head for supply chain Initiatives in the Circular Economy Division at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), outlined the newly released national circular economy framework. This marks the first time Australia has set clear targets to retain materials in the economy and reduce waste, with a core goal of doubling circularity by 2035. (Continued on page 18)