Innovation in Energy, Waste & the Circular Economy Conference Speakers

Antony Cullen-Ward, Regional Projects Coordinator at NetWaste

Learnings from the US - Texas Winter School 2025 - This presentation in relation to learnings from the US from attending the Solid Waste Management, Landfill & Landfill Mining Winter School. Running out of the University of Arlington Texas in January 2025, attendees were granted to a two week full immersion of all things waste and landfill including inspections of waste sites, bulk recovery, curb side systems, MRFs, and Dallas Fort Worth Airport food recovery program. The course is open to all nations with scholarships available, and gives a fantastic insight into the workings of global waste management and the North American waste and resource recovery system.

Ed Maher, Sustainability Facilities Manager at Charles Sturt University

Campus Electrification: A Path for Decarbonising - Stationary energy sources are a major contributor to the overall carbon footprint of most organisations that occupy significant building space. Decarbonisation of electricity sources is progressing rapidly and offers tested and reliable technology options. The journey of transitioning fossil-fuel based gas to renewable alternatives remains in its relatively early stages and presents a number of commercial and technical challenges that need to be resolved. Charles Sturt University has concluded that electrification of its campuses offers the most certain path for eliminating carbon emissions associated with its stationary energy needs but this too presents its own challenges. This session will focus on the findings from electrification studies completed at Charles Sturt’s Bathurst and Wagga Wagga campus and lessons learnt from applying a no new gas approach in recent years.

Esther Landells, PhD Candidate at Central Queensland University

From Insight to Impact: A review of Australian waste managers perspectives on effective household food waste interventions - This PhD research examined insights gained from Australian waste managers, highlighting the value of a “whole of council” approach to support effective “whole of community” FOGO engagement. Successful programs aligned council staff, engaged strong communicators, and connected with shared community concerns and values, including health, environment, and cost of living. Early engagement, social media, and trial phases improved community trust. Participants noted policy pressures, financial concerns, staffing issues, infrastructure and logistical challenges. However, consistent and continued engagement of councillors and staff (especially customer services), along with visible follow-through on FOGO procurement, proved useful to enabling coordinated, sustainable community-wide behaviour change.

Dr Hadi Vandchali, ESG and Procurement Services Consultant at Local Government Procurement (LPG)

Procurement Power: Driving Circular Economy and Market Innovation - This presentation explores the power of procurement as a strategic enabler of circular economy outcomes in local government by shifting from traditional, risk-averse practices to more innovative, outcomes-focused approaches. It highlights practical ways councils can enable experimentation, engage suppliers early, and integrate circular thinking across the procurement lifecycle. The session will also share insights from recent innovations in circular procurement led by Local Government Procurement (LGP), offering a council-focused perspective on enabling systems change. Attendees will leave with tangible ideas on how to embed circular economy principles into planning, tendering, and contract management processes.

Linda Tohver, Education Coordinator at NE Waste

Transitioning to reusables in regional NSW, where there's appetite one plate at a time - This presentation will highlight the range of issues with event take-away food and drink packaging, and how the NE Waste region is working towards implementing reusable cups and dishes. Take-away food packaging at events and markets, which is mainly single use, is deeply rooted in the linear economy - it's cheap, easy to dispose of and convenient for vendors and consumers. Despite efforts to decrease this problematic packaging, there remains a reliance on it in the take-away food sector. Plastic has been replaced with fibre based packaging, which cannot be recycled or composted. It is often labelled as compostable, misleading business and community to believe it is environmentally preferable, and 'brown-washing' consumers to think that these items will compost in landfill.