SMaRT@UNSW, which leads the Hub’s Impact Priority 2 – Plastic and Waste Materials, recently took part in the UNSW Sustainability Showcase at NSW Parliament House (18 September 2025). The team's attendance at the event aimed to engage parliamentary ministers and local government representatives with circular solutions for waste management.
At the event, the IP2 team highlighted how waste materials such as plastics, glass and textiles can be re-manufactured into valuable products using advanced recycling technologies. This work underpins the research being delivered through IP2’s Fit-for-Purpose Technological Recycling Solutions project.
Demonstrating technological recycling solutions in action
Led by Prof Veena Sahajwalla AO and Dr Rumana Hossain, the project supports regional and remote councils and industries to develop place-based, fit-for-purpose circular economy solutions. The IP2 team is working to:
- Connect councils and industries to share best practice reuse and recycling pathways.
- Showcase case studies of successful waste-to-resource initiatives.
- Translate circular economy research into co-designed plain-language tools and visual guides for communities.
The showcase provided a tangible demonstration of this work. It illustrated how the technologies being studied can be scaled to meet local waste challenges and improve resource recovery across Australia.
Turning research into real-world change
By engaging directly with policymakers, the showcase helped bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. This reinforces the Hub’s commitment to assisting communities to see waste as a resource and to support Australia’s transition towards a circular economy.
