Welcome to the Circular Resource network
Connecting people finding creative solutions for waste management in the ACT
Recycled concrete breaking new ground
Hundreds of thousands of buildings and structures are built each year in Australia. Now, more than ever, we need to think about more sustainable construction if we are to reduce waste. Sustainable constructions, such as green buildings, are essential to this effort. These buildings can reduce the waste created at the end of the life…
BVSC – Recovering resources from the ashes
The 2019-2020 Australian Bushfire season ravaged the nation and our resources. It has been dubbed the ‘Black Summer’ and gained world-wide attention due to its huge scale. Hundreds of fires burnt throughout the season, mainly on the east coast. Fires burnt more than 18 million hectares of land, over 5,900 buildings, and left many Australians…
A resourceful way to get rid of household bulky waste
The ACT Government has recently launched a free bulky waste collection service that over time will cover the entire Territory. For now, residents in the Tuggeranong and Gungahlin areas along with concession card holders across all of the ACT, will be able to book a free bulky waste collection once a year making it easier…
Bushfire clean-up and waste recovery
New South Wales (NSW) is undertaking a large scale clean-up program following the 2019-20 Australian bushfires. Laing O’Rourke is the company that has been appointed to deliver the clean-up program. More than 2800 affected properties across the state of NSW have already been cleared with the program progressing efficiently. This is a big milestone for…
Construction and demolition waste exchange marketplace
Australia is working towards better waste management, reducing emissions, and increasing material recycling. The waste industry has achieved multiple milestones while lowering its emissions at a greater rate than other sectors. However, the effectively managing the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream is proving to be a challenge. Over recent decades, construction activities have grown…
The cross-regional mobility of waste
The construction industry plays a vital role in every country around the world. However, it also creates severe environmental impacts. One of the biggest challenges from the industry is the massive scale of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. It is estimated that over 10 billion tons of C&D waste has been generated worldwide per year…
Woodlawn Bioreactor: Managing bushfire waste
Months after the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, waste clean-up and disposals are still underway. One company, Veolia, is providing creative solutions for our environment to complement the clean-up efforts taking place. The bushfires generated a significant amount of waste in such a short time frame, and volumes like this could overwhelm many regional waste management…
The ACT Recyclopaedia-improving community recycling behaviours through online education
In 2019 the ACT Government’s Recyclopaedia underwent a design overhaul to improve functionality, reflecting the way people search for and access information online. Recycling right is not always black and white – there are plenty of items that cannot go in your recycling bin that can be reused or recycled by taking them elsewhere. What…
NWRIC: better waste management and recycling for all
The National Waste Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) is the industry body for commercial waste and recycling operators Australia wide. It strives for a fairer, safer, more transparent, sustainable and innovative national waste and recycling services for all Australians. To achieve this, the NWRIC advocates for greater development of markets for recovered materials; better planning regulations…
The clothes journey: from you, to your younger siblings and beyond
Australia disposes over 300,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles through landfill each year (as of 2019). Although clothing and textiles don’t account for a large percentage of our waste (approximately 4% of landfill), the production of fast fashion is disproportionately damaging to the environment. Vast resources go in to producing clothing and textiles, which have…
Flying in the face of food waste
One third of all food produced in the world is wasted each year, and it costs the Australian economy $20 billion a year. Approximately 35% of landfill in Australia is food waste, which amounts to $3,800 worth of groceries per household wasted each year. With so many undernourished people around the world, and over 700,000…
Green waste + gravity = reusable resource
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) produces huge amounts of waste. In fact, the total amount of waste generated in the ACT has grown by about 5% every year for the last 15 years. Of this, 40-50% of waste disposed through the general waste stream is made up of organic materials, which could have potentially been…
When a tree dies, don’t waste your breath. Rescue the wood to honour its memory
Trees die. You don’t have to like it, but they do. And this comes as a surprise to some. A senior public servant once told one of us (Brack): “Trees don’t die; people kill them.” Of course sometimes we kill trees, especially in urban areas where trees are regularly removed for reasons of safety or…
Closing the resource loop
Sims Metal Management is one of the largest operating recycling companies founded in Australia. They are leading the metal and electronics recycling industries, and are a key player in the global recycling sector. John Glyde, Managing Director of Australia & New Zealand, tells us how the company is achieving material circularity, and highlights the key…
A match made in heaven: using technology to connect the waste industry
ASPIRE is an online matchmaking marketplace that intelligently matches businesses with potential remanufacturers, purchasers or recyclers of waste and excess resources, to create a robust circular economy. “We give business an alternative to sending their waste to landfill, with an economic uplift for their organisation,” said Cameron McKenzie, the Chief Executive Officer of ASPIRE. ASPIRE…
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