Society Fellow and UNSW Sydney Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla FRSN FAA FTSE was the subject of a fascinating ABC TV Australian Story documentary, The Tipping Point, on her life’s work in the recycling of waste that is now revolutionising manufacturing. 

From her childhood in Mumbai, she recognised that waste was an untapped resource that was waiting to be harnessed. The program documents an impressive list of accomplishments that include the development of “green steel” in which the use of coal in the steel making process is being progressively replaced by rubber from recycled tyres.

Most recently, the Eureka Prize winning scientist has turned her attention to the development of “green ceramics”, fabricated from recycled glass and second-hand clothes, which have a stylish, designer appearance and are being used in flooring, walling, and furniture applications. This development has attracted the attention of the construction firm Mirvac, which sees considerable potential in these products, and also has fostered the development of “micro-factories” which provide a distributed capability for the recycling of waste into innovative products. The program highlighted the first commercially operating micro-factory in the town of Cootamundra, supported by seed funding from the NSW Physical Sciences Fund.

To read more about this story, to view the program, and to learn more about the circular economy and waste recycling, please peruse the following links:

• How Veena Sahajwalla’s ‘green ceramics’ made from glass and clothes are revolutionising manufacturing — ABC News
• The Tipping Point — ABC iView
• A circular economy roadmap for plastics, tyres, glass and paper in Australia — CSIRO
• Waste and Resource Recovery Report — ATSE