Experts in plastics recycling from across Australia and the world will gather in Melbourne later this month for the Annual Plastics & Waste Conference.
Organised by the Australia-New Zealand section of the Society of Plastics Engineers, the one day event will take place on 17 November at the Mantra Bell City Hotel in Preston. The conference agenda comprises a mix of keynote presentations from government, product stewardship and sustainability leaders, all with a focus on boosting the recovery and recycling of plastic materials from waste streams.
The international speakers include Doug Woodring, Director of the Ocean Recovery Alliance, Hong Kong, and the CEO of London and Sydney-based Nextek, Professor Edward Kosior. Mr Woodring will provide an update on developments with plastics and impacts on the oceans, while Professor Kosior will provide insights on the challenges and innovations with plastic packaging recycling and interaction with European legislation.
Tom Jansen of Netherlands-based TOMRA Sorting is lined up to share details of new technologies being used around the world to achieve improved recycling of plastics. Rowan Williams of the Australasian Bioplastics Association will speak about the latest developments in biodegradable plastics, while the new Australian Packaging Covenant CEO, Trish Hyde, will provide an update on her organisation’s work.
Other keynote speakers include Sustainability Victoria CEO Stan Krpan, CEO Office of Green Industries South Australia Vaughan Levitzke and Helen Millicer from the Vinyl Council of Australia.
“Our experts will deal with container deposit scheme legislation in a dedicated panel discussion, but delegates can use this opportunity to ask questions about any issues related to the recycling of plastics,” said event organiser Han Michel.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to see innovative products made from and applications of recycled plastics developed by Integrated Packaging, Newtecpoly, Plastic Forests and Replas.
The conference program is available from the event website and the registration form is available to download here. Additional information is available from Han Michel by phone on 0416 168 255 or by email at hanmichel@bigpond.com.