What makes an outstanding waste and resource recovery project? With the 2025 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards only weeks away, we talk with last year’s winner about success and what’s to come.
In corrections, all you tend to hear about is the negatives; if something goes wrong, you are going to hear about it. So, this award has been a big positive boost for us and everyone involved.”
For Larry Guilfoyle, Manager of Industries at the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre for the Queensland Corrective Services, the win at the 2024 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards is still of great significance, and one he is happy to reflect upon.
Lotus Glen Correctional Centre manages a recycling program that reduces waste sent to landfill. The program, which involves inmates collecting and sorting materials such as food waste, plastics, and clothing for recycling and repurposing into sellable goods, won the Outstanding WARR Project: Regional/Rural award.
“We were all over the moon with the win,” says Larry. “I was shocked because we were up against some incredible contenders.
“But what made the win truly special wasn’t just the trophy; it was the impact on the people behind it.”
He says the recognition was a moment of pride and affirmation in lives that don’t often get many wins.
“It was really affirming for the prisoners. After the news broke, it was even shown on the TVs in the centre, and the reaction was massive.”
Since its creation in 2022, the centre’s recycling program has diverted between 700 – 1000 tonnes of waste from landfill, making it Queensland’s largest recycling program in a correctional centre.
The initiative currently diverts about 50 per cent of the centre’s waste from landfill, an achievement that not only benefits the environment, but also empowers participants with real skills and purpose.
“This award was a huge confidence boost for all of us involved,” Larry says.
“Inspired by the experience and benefits of the program, one of the participants has let me know they are planning on pursuing a career in the recycling industry after their release.
“It has also shown the nation we are not just working to rehabilitate prisoners, we’re providing a really positive output for the community.”
Larry says the win fuelled a new wave of ambition and positive morale across the community. He is now looking at proposals to turn the centre’s food waste into chemical-free fertilisers.
Industry affirming
As the waste and resource recovery industry continues to evolve and grow, Larry says awards like the Waste, Innovation and Recycling Awards shine a light on unsung heroes and game-changing innovation.
“I was amazed at what people are doing around the country,” he says.
“You tend to hear bits and pieces about programs here and there, but I was just blown away by being faced with it in detail that night.
“The awards are a great platform to learn about what else is going on in the industry and, of course, gain confidence for being nominated and sharing in the success of the wider group.”
The 2025 awards, held in conjunction with Waste Australia Expo, will be held on October 29, 2025 at the Melbourne Arts Centre.
For more information, visit: www.wasteawards.com.au
.png){kind=small}
