Recycling pioneer named NSW Australian of the Year

Waste & recycling pioneer named NSW Australian of the Year

Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT@UNSW), has been named as the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year, in recognition of her pioneering research into waste, turning it into a new generation of green materials and products.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet presented the award on 15 November at a ceremony attended by her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of NSW. As founding Director of SMaRT@UNSW, Professor Sahajwalla was recognised for her outstanding work as an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor who has revolutionised recycling science and advocated for STEM and sustainability locally, nationally and internationally. Professor Sahajwalla also heads the new ARC Microrecycling Research Hub and the Australian Government’s new National Environmental Science Program Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. She is renowned for pioneering the high-temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of green materials. “I couldn’t believe I was nominated, let alone win the title of the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year,” said Professor Sahajwalla. “It is such a privilege to receive this award, and to live, work and have a family in Australia. This means so much to me and is a reflection on the wonderful people I’ve had around me. I am so passionate about my work and team at the UNSW SMaRT Centre, where we have been pioneering the science of microrecycling and developing new ‘waste to product’ technologies. “Promoting STEM [science, technology, engineering and maths] and greater sustainability continue to be extremely important to me. And as I engage with many people every day, I see these issues are generating a community and industry groundswell that we should embrace to help our society collectively tackle the challenges we face, to improve our environmental, social and economic wellbeing.” UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs said: “Veena’s work in using waste as a resource to help us achieve a sustainable future reflects UNSW’s service to society, our quest to find practical solutions and the academic rigour that underpins great advances – knowledge by heart, hand and mind. “Veena’s work is a great example of our shared aspiration, and a part of what has led to our collective achievement today. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all in the UNSW community – students, staff, alumni and supporters – who, by sharing a commitment to our vision, share in our global success.” www.smart.unsw.edu.au

Recycling robot could help solve soft plastic waste crisis

Engineering researchers are developing a unique method to increase the recycling of soft plastics by creating a smart robot that can identify, sort and separate different types of recyclable waste.

Despite an improvement in plastic recycling in recent years, landfill remains a growing issue. Soft plastics like cling wrap and plastic bags are a major contributor to the problem, with 94% going to landfill in 2016-17. Working alongside industry partners as part of a Federal Government Cooperative Research Centre Project grant, researchers from the Centre for Internet of Things (IoT) and Telecommunications at the University of Sydney are developing a unique method to increase recycling of soft plastics – by creating a smart, automated robotic system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to sort recyclable waste. The team includes Professor Branka Vucetic, Professor Yonghui Li, Associate Professor Wanli Ouyang, Dr Wanchun Liu and Senior Technical Officer Dawei Tan from the School of Electrical and Information Engineering. “The recycling robotic automation system will use AI and computer vision to learn how to identify different forms of recycling waste, effectively learning how to ‘see’ and ‘sort’ waste, to create separate waste streams and maintain soft plastics’ purity so they can be recycled,” says Vucetic. The researchers are working with waste management companies IQRenew and CurbCycle, technology developers Licella, Mike Ritchie and Associates, and Resource Recovery Design to develop the system. The system will be integrated into IQ Renew’s material recovery facility as part of CurbCycle’s soft plastic recovery program, an Australian initiative that involves household collection of recyclables that are segregated into bags prior to placing them into their kerbside recycling bin. “Not only does our project divert household soft plastics from going to landfill; by creating a solution for the collection and sorting of waste with our industry and research partners, we’re also creating a sustainable supply chain that takes rubbish from households to end markets,” says Ouyang. “The robot will identify ‘CurbyTagged’ bags and differentiate sources of plastic, separating soft plastics from the fully co-mingled recyclables.” After being separated from other waste, the soft plastics will be used for various purposes, including advanced recycling into oils and other valuable chemicals.

www.sydney.edu.au

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