Waste to energy, circularity: Waste Expo Australia conference announced

The countdown to Waste Expo Australia 2023 continues. With just over two months to go, the conference schedule has been released, detailing the 100 industry leaders who will share insights over two days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

On 25-26 October, the free-to-attend Waste Expo Australia conference will create a platform for industry discussions around the theme of “Advancing Towards Sustainable Resource Recovery”. The conference’s four streams cover Local Government and Policy, Commercial Demolition and Commercial Industrial (CD&CI), Circular Economy and Waste Innovation, and Waste to Energy.

Director of Oakwood Consultants, Michael Wood, is chairing a panel session in the Circular Economy stream, discussing how a circular approach to food waste can drive useful horticultural solutions.

“Keeping food waste out of landfill sounds easy enough at face value, but it takes full cooperation from the food waste hierarchy to achieve meaningful progress in this area. Food waste can be a valuable resource for compost and other horticultural products, but it requires education and a consistent approach to waste,” Mr Wood said.

“Our panel discussion aims to bring together leaders at different levels of that food waste hierarchy and shine a light on best practices that can be integrated into daily life, promoting environmental stewardship.”

In the Waste to Energy stream, consultant and innovator, Scott McArdle, is contributing over several sessions, addressing new technologies on the waste-to-energy scene. Mr McArdle’s company, Zerogen, is investing in waste to hydrogen (WXH) technology, which he says has a key role to play in decarbonising both the waste economy and regional economies.

“The waste-to-energy sector is an under-utilised area of impact when it comes to addressing waste management challenges and supporting sustainable solutions. There are several key issues facing the industry in Australia, including policy and regulatory challenges, waste composition and investment,” Mr McArdle said.

“Over several sessions at Waste Expo Australia, I’ll be guiding industry discussions through the present challenges, future direction and the big-picture end goal – a circular, net zero society that is focused on collaboration and ‘inside-out design’ to make the impacts that we need.”

Outside the conference streams, a plenary will kick off the conference, with keynotes from the Hon. Ingrid Stitt, Victorian Minister for Energy, Tony Circelli, CEO Recycling Victoria, Lee Miezis, CEO EPA Victoria, Matt Genever, Interim CEO Sustainability Victoria, and more. There’s also an extensive trade exhibition, with over 100 suppliers already confirmed.

With over 2,500 attendees expected including representatives from waste services, material recovery facilities, facilities management, landfill, government and consultancy, Waste Expo Australia stands out as an essential gathering for networking, procurement, and learning opportunities.

Waste Expo Australia Exhibition Director, Samantha Martin, said that this year’s conference promises to be a meeting of minds in the waste management sector, driving discussions that have the potential to create real change.

“I’m particularly excited about the quality of speakers we have confirmed for this year’s Waste Expo Australia conference, as it will provide a genuine platform for insights across all aspects of the industry while driving best practices and new ideas that will shape the future of the sector,” Ms Martin said.

“With access to plenary sessions and thought-provoking panels alongside the comprehensive exhibition, time invested in attending Waste Expo Australia will be well-spent.”

Both the conference and exhibition are free to attend, with registrations open now.

Find the full conference program and register to attend Waste Expo Australia 2023 at https://www.wasteexpoaustralia.com.au.

Featured image: 2022’s Waste Expo. Image credit: Waste Expo Australia.

Council Magazine is a media partner of Waste Expo Australia.