Impact stories
Rethinking waste 鈥 a decade-long collaboration offers sustainable manufacturing solutions
Pioneering recycling methods are transforming used glass and textiles into practical products.
Published on the 26 March 2024 by Lilly Matson
The world and our environment is in a state of flux, and as the pressing reality of the climate crisis comes into sharp focus, we need answers.听
One of the key challenges in the pursuit of a sustainable future is tackling the vast amount of waste generated by humans. And for big problems we need big solutions, and a unique partnership is taking this particular challenge head on.
鈥淪ome people may look at rubbish and see a pile of waste, but you have to look at the value within,鈥 says Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of the 国民彩票 Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT Centre).
Prof. Sahajwalla, a leading expert in recycling science, has been working in partnership with Mr Andrew Douglas, the founder and Director of Kandui Technologies, to transform waste materials into highly-engineered, valuable products.
鈥淎pplying the science that has been developed at the 国民彩票 SMaRT Centre, we are turning low-value materials like waste glass and textiles into high-performing and high-value products such as ceramic tiles and benchtops,鈥 says Mr Douglas. 鈥淭his is all done on a small but commercial scale at our factory on a landfill site in Nowra.鈥澨
"It鈥檚 incredible to see how this unique partnership with Andrew, which is built on respect and communication, has resulted in real solutions, with real impact鈥 says Prof Sahajwalla. 鈥淲e have taken mutual ownership of the problem to look for answers, whilst always valuing the science.鈥
Reviving waste materials
Amongst the tonnes of household waste sent to landfill every year are valuable materials that have the potential to be transformed into brand-new products.听
Together with her team at the SMaRT Centre, Prof. Sahajwalla developed a process that takes waste resources not traditionally used for recycling, which are often made up of complex materials, and transforms them into high-value products. She coined the process 鈥榤icro-recycling鈥.听
After years of development, the world鈥檚 first MICROfactorieTM was launched in 2018 harnessing micro-recycling to revive waste materials onsite, at the 国民彩票 SMaRT Centre.
That very first MICROfactorieTM was just 50 square metres, and the perfect prototype for how other MICROfactoriesTM could be embedded into the community.
"Ultimately, a MICROfactorieTM is all about decentralisation,鈥 says Prof. Sahajwalla. 鈥淭he idea is that a small unit that couples both recycling and remanufacturing can enable communities to deal with their waste.鈥
Once it was clear that the process worked in the lab, Mr Douglas was the first to set up a MICROfactorieTM embedded in the 鈥榬eal world鈥, firstly in the small town of Cootamundra, and more recently in Nowra, a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales.
The MICROfactorieTM based on the landfill site in Nowra is using the micro-recycling process to turn waste glass and textiles into stylish and sustainable ceramics that can be used for kitchen benchtops, table tops and tiles.听
鈥淲e're pioneering micro-recycling here at 国民彩票. And our partnership with Andrew is now taking waste mattresses and creating Green Ceramics 鈥 ceramic tiles made from 80 per cent recycled materials 鈥 on a small but commercial scale.鈥澨
- Professor Sahajwalla
A unique partnership
Prof. Sahajwalla and Mr Douglas have known each other for over a decade, having first met in passing at a sustainability conference. Their successful partnership has been one of learning and collaboration.听
鈥淢ine and Andrew鈥檚 values are aligned,鈥 says Prof. Sahajwalla. 鈥淲e care about the impact of the work we do and we all aspire to deliver to a world that鈥檚 not a perfect place.
鈥淭hinking about how we can improve outcomes for our people and our planet is at the core of what we do.鈥澨
From the periphery, Prof. Sahajwalla and Mr Douglas鈥 day-to-day jobs may seem quite different.听
鈥淚t might look as though we work in our own spheres 鈥 like Andrew is coming from the world of business, and I am tackling the science鈥 says Prof. Sahajwalla. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not the case for us, the science and the manufacturing are intertwined, and the partnership itself has helped to shape the fundamental research we are continuing to do.鈥澨
But what motivates these two experts to tackle some of the most pressing problems facing society today?
The answer: a passion for change.听
鈥淚 saw an opportunity to change and disrupt the traditional approach to a problem,鈥 says Mr Douglas. 鈥淟uckily, I bumped into Veena who blew it all out of the water. She said 鈥榦pen your eyes and have a look at what's out there鈥 and that ripped the band aid off for me, I was in on the journey.鈥
Challenges & opportunities
Mr Douglas emphasises that no journey is linear and, like any success story, there are challenges along the way.听
In fact, the very fundamentals of micro-recycling pose some serious hurdles. 鈥淓verything that contains more than a single type of material, such as a mattress, gets increasingly difficult to recycle,鈥 says Prof. Sahajwalla. 鈥淭his means the commercialisation of the products we鈥檙e creating, has only been made possible once the fundamental science of micro-recycling has been understood.鈥澨
With issues that do arise, it鈥檚 important that the wider team is able to communicate to provide the best platform for learning and growing, the pair emphasise.听
This story is not simply one of financial investment, but also of human investment; both have committed endless time and boundless energy to make their vision a reality.听
The benefits of such an open, communicative partnership means that Prof. Sahajwalla and Mr Douglas are able to refine both the process and the products. 鈥淚t鈥檚 at the point where we've got our staff members embedded at the Uni, and the Uni representatives are always down at the factory. It's just seamless, and importantly, the relationship allows us to share our learnings from the factory floor,鈥 says Mr Douglas. 听
鈥淚t鈥檚 really healthy because we are always challenging each other. And the beauty of that is that if we will hit a production problem or a specification problem, we can feedback that we need to tweak something. And that鈥檚 what makes this collaboration so effective.
鈥溾淎ny challenges we face, we approach with fun. No matter how difficult it鈥檚 been, there's always a chuckle and a reset at the end of the day. So that's what makes it so enjoyable."听
听-听Mr Douglas
A fast-changing industry
Even just ten years ago, the world of recycling and sustainability was a very different landscape, and Prof. Sahajwalla and Mr Douglas have seen it evolve. And now, both stand at the forefront of an industry that is continuing to push boundaries.
鈥淲e've made the point that these methods are good for the environment and good for recycling. But now we鈥檙e notching up another level, one that has never been talked about in green manufacturing before, which is 鈥榟ow is it better from an operational and production point of view?鈥欌 asks Prof. Sahajwalla. 鈥淚t was always assumed that if you're putting waste into manufacturing, then you must be spending more to create lower grade products, and that鈥檚 simply not the case.鈥
As well as contributing to a circular economy, micro-recycling actually reduces the energy requirements of 'traditional鈥 manufacturing by overcoming the energy-intensive extraction and processing required of natural resources.
鈥淲e鈥檝e actually shifted the dialogue to highlight the operational benefits of micro-recycling. And the world now seems to be excited about the possibilities.鈥
- Professor Sahajwalla
Forward focused
Prof. Sahajwalla emphasises the need to think about the bigger picture.
鈥淭he world is never going to run out of waste. So, if we can keep these materials in our supply chains in a safe and a sustainable manner, then the opportunities are endless.鈥澨
The commercialisation of Green Ceramics is just the latest development in their ongoing collaboration.听
Mr Douglas says the interest in their work is growing daily. 鈥淲e're getting inundated with every type of textile known to man, being contacted by every garment manufacturer, every retailer, government agencies, hospital waste. We're growing and one day we want to have capacity to be able to accept all of it.鈥
When they reflect on the journey so far, both Prof. Sahajwalla and Mr Douglas are excited about the possibilities and proud of what they have achieved.听
鈥淎t the end of the day, it's cutting-edge science with environmental impact, it's safe products and it's creating local jobs. What's not to love?鈥 says Mr Douglas.
鈥淚 am hopeful that the work we do in our partnership inspires others to consider how they can be a part of the story,鈥听
-Prof. Sahajwalla.
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The crystalline silica-free ceramics are available from the trading branch of Kandui, Noveco Surfaces.听
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