Zero-waste heroes applaud Sydney’s only waste and recycling expo

Doors have closed on the final day of this year’s most important waste management expo, AWRE. Record numbers of visitors made new connections and experienced the latest in waste innovation across this two-day event at Darling Harbour’s sustainable venue ICC.

“Unrivalled networking opportunities”, “industry-class exhibition”, “great speakers” were some of the buzzwords captured by both exhibitors and visitors at this dynamic industry forum presenting the largest showcase of efficient, profitable and sustainable waste and recycling solutions.

Key highlights of day two:

• Zero-waste heroes – renowned eco warrior Joost Bakker was excited to announce the Australian-first pyrolysis machine which converts waste materials back to their original source. And local foodie and founder of Yume Food, Katy Barfield talked about inventive ways to reduce waste footprint in commercial kitchens.

• World-first robot – visitors met Yindi BLUE, a world-first machine learning robot designed in Sydney that will be used to clear Sydney’s waterways of plastic. People were given the opportunity to control Yindi BLUE remotely from the venue as it cleared rubbish from Chipping Norton Lake in Fairfield. Yindi BLUE has the potential to be in every classroom, allowing the next generation to clear their local waterways.

• Cross-contamination, consumer education, manufacturer responsibility, source and separation were some of the most pressing themes trending on the NSW EPA Speaker Series Stage which stimulated healthy discussion and delivered insightful commentary from our leading speakers:

• “We need to take recycling into our own hands and innovate here in Australia.” Anissa Levy, Acting Chair & CEO, NSW EPA
• “It starts at the top with the big companies” Geoff Hill, COO, BINGO Industries
• “You can’t fight innovation you have to take it on” Dr Karl Baltpurvins, Toxfree
• “Consumers need to do their part in demanding quality products that last and can be repaired” Warren Overton, TechCollect
• “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.” John Gertsakis, BlooPlanet (quoting Vivienne Westwood)
• “We are depleting our soil at an alarming rate and not able to grow nutritious food” Katy Barfield, Yume Food
• “Our food is no longer nourishing us. We can only solve that problem by solving the organic waste problem” Joost Bakker
• “When policies like China’s National Sword recycled materials bans are promoted well in advance, that’s the time to act. Other Asian countries are talking about doing the same thing. We need decisive action now to bring manufacturing back into Australia” David Baggs, CEO, Global GreenTag

Combining a leading free education program with over 120 global and local brands proved to be a major drawcard to the waste industry’s greatest product showcase addressing waste management challenges.

Visitor comments:

• “Meeting industry leading suppliers, product manufacturers and distributors were really useful.”
• “It was so great to see so many solution providers for our nation’s waste and recycling solutions.”

Exhibitor comments:

• “This is our first time. It’s such a unique market here. It’s a great forum for us and we are already getting a lot of contacts,” says Donasonic project manager Tim Barnes.
• “This is our first time exhibiting and there is a lot of interest. We will definitely be back next year,” says Escola Ebin events manager Monica Lu.

 More about AWRE and the ICC 

The event industry is notorious for generating huge amounts of waste. At the Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo (AWRE), we are demonstrating how we are leading the way in sustainable event management best practice with an ambitious target – to send just 5% of our two-day event waste to landfill.

At the forefront of event sustainability AWRE is working closely with the International Convention Centre Sydney – ICC Sydney, and our other event partners on a shared sustainability vision to reduce environmental impact and lead a behavioural shift within the industry. Find out more about our #StriveforFive campaign which honours our Towards Zero Landfill pledge at https://awrexpo.wpenginepowered.com/towards-zero-landfill/

You can download the case study to find out more about the partnership at the forefront of event sustainability.

Join us for another AWRESOME line up at AWRE 2019, 30-31 October, ICC Sydney