National Resource Recovery simplifies hazardous waste management to help businesses meet their sustainability goals.
It’s not your traditional tale of a rise from poverty to wealth. Nevertheless, the National Resource Recovery story is one of rags to riches. That is, waste rags to environmental riches.
The family business in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, was established 30 years ago, operating in conjunction with the state’s Environment Protection Authority to dispose of and recycle automotive waste.
It’s since expanded its operations to become a leader in providing waste management services across a range of industry sectors and waste types.
Now Sandro Accetta, General Manager, is determined to realise the company’s national aspirations.
“Our goal is to take National Resource Recovery to the next level,” Sandro says.
“As the name suggests, we want this brand to be a major player in our specialised field and we want to be able to offer customers national coverage. We want this business to stand above the rest.”
The National Resource Recovery team is not unfamiliar with standing above the rest. The company was one of the first to begin recycling oil filters and was a key voice in advocating for them to be classified as hazardous waste.
In the 1990s, National Resource Recovery founder John Isherwood’s primary focus was the recycling of oil filters. He was driven to keep harmful waste out of landfill.
By the beginning of 2000, the company pushed into the wider hydrocarbon space which included, but was not limited to, soiled rags, empty metal containers, part washers and hot wash units, plastic containers, aerosols, absorbent waste, and waste oil collections.
Over the years the company has organically grown and improved its processes and now collects and transports a wide range of liquid and packaged reportable priority waste (RPW).
The team is proud of the company’s reputation for prioritising landfill diversion and recycling. All waste collected is either transported to National Resource Recovery’s licensed facility in Bayswater, or to an alternative EPA-licensed facility where it’s sorted, treated, and converted to various products for reuse.
The aim is to deliver integrated waste and environmental solutions through waste management, resource recovery and product recycling.
Sandro says that as business owners increasingly look to minimise waste and maximise resource use, National Resource Recovery continues to expand its services.
He wants to take the business to the next level, offering the entire suite of services in the hazardous waste space.
“We are looking to expand to ensure the waste streams we manage are given every opportunity to be diverted from landfill and recycled into a pure, clean material for reuse,” Sandro says.
“We continue to invest in more technology and innovations with the view to increase our recycling rates. We are tracking at 93 per cent but my focus is to increase this to the point that every waste stream that is managed by National Resource Recovery will be diverted to recycling pathways and away from landfill.”
He’s confident that those targets can be met with National Resource Recovery’s ability to look for new solutions and the rapid advancement of the industry.
Sandro brings 24 years’ industry experience to his role as General Manager, including a long-term stint as Operations Southern Region Manager for Thiess Waste Management System, which was later purchased by REMONDIS.
He’s seen many changes during his time, particularly around accountability, compliance, and social governance, and is invigorated by the challenges and opportunities that come with specialising in hazardous and prescribed waste services.
“The industry is now tapping into areas that only a few years ago were thought of as way off into the future,” Sandro says. “The waste and recycling industry is pushing into those areas that were once unfeasible.
“Diversion and sustainable solutions are being developed time and time again as Australia strives to transition to a circular economy and reach waste to landfill diversion targets.”
While he believes the future is bright for the industry, there are still challenges and one of the biggest challenges right now is end-market use.
National Resource Recovery is playing its role in diverting as much waste from landfill as possible and is looking for alternative options. However, Sandro says Australia needs to develop stronger and wider local markets, particularly when it comes to plastics.
He says local markets are too small and cannot cope with the copious volume being generated. Government support and policy is needed to drive local markets to invest in technology that supports reuse.
“There has been some work done in this space but more needs to be done,” he says.
He’s also still surprised by the lack of understanding by some business when it comes to appropriate disposal of their waste.
Despite greater education and media awareness, he says some customers still believe it is appropriate to dispose of hazardous waste as a general waste stream.
“I understand the importance of commercial engagement but equally, the environment has to take high priority,” Sandro says. “We must look after this precious land we occupy. We need to continue to provide ongoing education to better use this valuable resource while preserving our environment.
“We’ve seen some industry players manage business waste in inappropriate ways that have been catastrophic to the environment, as well as local communities. We have to ensure that doesn’t continue to happen.”
If Sandro has his way, the company will play a key role in helping businesses acknowledge the resources available and reach their environmental goals while ensuring compliance remains front and centre.
Not only will the company offer the entire stream of hazardous waste collection and recycling services, but will manage reporting, compliancy, and governance of waste streams so its customers can focus on their main operations.
“We want to reach the highest recycling rates for our customers. This is a key driver for many of our corporate customers, small, medium and large,” Sandro says.
Those corporate customers include REMONDIS, VEOLIA, Waste Services Group, MG Waste, Nationwide Waste and Capricorn, to name a few. The relationships extend over many years and have strengthened as the company has grown.
It’s National Resource Recovery’s ability to adapt to customer needs, Sandro says, that offers a point of difference, and while there are numerous customers who can attest to National Resource Recovery assisting in a pinch, one job stands out.
Sandro says that during a site visit to find a solution for one waste stream for a potential client he noticed several other “difficult waste streams” around the facility.
Further investigation revealed that waste had been on site for at least three months because the company couldn’t find a suitable resolution.
Sandro says National Resource Recovery turned the job around within three days. As a result, it has been asked to take over all the hazardous waste services.
“Customers need prompt and efficient service, particularly when dealing with hazardous waste,” he says. “We provide an end-to-end, compliant process adhering to regulatory obligations and commitments.
“We are nimble and capable of adapting to customer needs when it comes to collections and reporting to ensure they comply with their internal reporting metrics.
“There is no need for customers to be jumping through hoops. Our customers want flexibility, and we are here to deliver.”
Sandro says every business needs effective recycling as a waste management tool. The National Resource Recovery team has expertise in dealing with varied waste streams and identifying easy-to-implement waste management plans.
Recycling services can be customised to a business’s requirements including size and workflow, thereby reducing work disruption.
“Our waste recycling team works towards consolidating, optimising and simplifying waste management systems in order to meet sustainability goals,” Sandro says.
“There is still so much work to be done if we truly aim for zero waste to landfill across all waste streams.
“The ambition for me is that anyone looking for a provider to handle all hazardous waste, immediately thinks of National Resource Recovery.”
For more information, visit: www.nationalresourcerecovery.com.au
