Waste Expo 2026 brings industry together, highlighting partnerships, circularity and system alignment to unlock the full potential of Australia’s waste sector.
Conversations about circularity, procurement reform and community trust are shaping decision-making across the resource recovery, recycling and waste sector – and informing the agenda for Waste Expo 2026, returning to Melbourne in October.
This year’s event includes new partnerships designed to bring different parts of the industry into closer alignment.
Among them is a collaboration with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC), which will anchor a Greener Infrastructure Conference throughout the expo.
Toby Kent, ISC Chief Executive Officer, says the timing is deliberate, part of a shift toward partnerships that deliver greater impact.
ISC’s core objective is to enable connected infrastructure that supports people to thrive on a healthy planet, positioning sustainability as a practical, system-wide outcome rather than a standalone goal.
“We are seeing strong outcomes in projects that use recycled materials, but it’s still a very small proportion of the infrastructure being built,” Toby says.
“If that level of success was replicated across the entire market, the environmental benefits and financial gains would be significant.
“That’s why we’re excited to partner with the Greener Waste Conference – it aligns with what we’re trying to achieve and helps bring those opportunities into the mainstream.”
The addition of the conference signals a deeper integration between waste and infrastructure – two domains that have historically worked in parallel but are increasingly interdependent.
Toby says sustainable infrastructure is a system-wide challenge that hinges on how materials are valued and reused. The collaboration with Waste Expo is intended to help move beyond theory into application.
“One group I would really encourage to come along is procurement officers and representatives of government who sit behind so many of the decisions that are made,” he says.
“We’re here to elevate the capacity of our members and others to deliver actual, on-the-ground benefits. When you look at recycled materials and waste as a resource, it makes the sustainability agenda very tangible.
“This conference is where the rubber hits the road, or quite often where the rubber is in the road.”
Data from the ISC’s own project assessments highlight the scale of the opportunity. Millions of tonnes of waste diverted from landfill; widespread use of recycled materials and measurable financial savings all point to a sector that can deliver both environmental and economic returns if adoption can accelerate.
Running alongside this partnership is a more formal alignment with the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR). While ACOR has long supported the event, this year marks a shift toward a more structured relationship.
ACOR Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Toumbourou describes the move as a response to pressure on domestic recycling systems to move beyond capacity-building and into market stability.
“The sector is at a turning point, with a strong need to build stable end markets for domestically recycled materials,” Suzanne says.
“That requires better coordination across policy, infrastructure and demand at both state and national levels. Recycling is a remanufacturing supply chain – it only works when policy, markets, infrastructure and community behaviour are aligned.
“Waste Expo helps bring those elements together.”
The partnership also broadens the event’s audience. By actively drawing in manufacturers, brand owners, reprocessors and policymakers, the Expo aims to bridge gaps between those who place materials on the market and those responsible for recovering them.
“Manufacturers and brands placing materials on the market, through to reprocessors and end markets, need to be in the same conversation,” Suzanne says. “Along with policymakers, they’re all part of the same system.
“What we want members to take away is meaningful engagement, stronger collaboration and clearer signals on policy and market direction.
“Australia has invested in recycling capacity – the next step is aligning policy, producer responsibility and demand for Australian-made recycled content.”
If the partnerships suggest where the sector is heading, the Expo advisory board offers a closer view of how those priorities are being translated into the program itself. Erin Ford, part of the advisory committee, describes a process grounded less in top-down planning and more in constant listening.
“It’s about listening to what the community and the industry is asking for,” Erin says.
“I’m really active across news and industry publications to see what the key messages are and what topics are of interest now. Things like batteries are always going to be an issue. Soft plastics have come back into the conversation.
“It’s about talking to the industry and finding out what direction we’re heading in this year.”
That approach produces a program that reflects both long-standing challenges and emerging shifts. For Erin, community education remains a consistent theme, particularly as public trust in recycling systems fluctuates.
At the same time, construction and demolition waste, sustainable infrastructure and material reuse are gaining prominence as large-scale projects reshape the built environment.
“Community education is still top of mind because we’re working with a community that doesn’t necessarily have faith that their items are being recycled,” Erin says.
“People may not even understand what should be recycled or where it should go, so that’s really important.
“We’re also seeing more focus on construction and demolition and how, with all these big builds, we make sure that we’re using materials more sustainably and thinking of waste as a resource.”
The advisory board itself reflects the diversity of the audience the Expo attracts, bringing together consultants, operators, council representatives and specialists from across different waste streams.
Erin says that breadth is mirrored in attendee profiles, with the expo maintaining its free entry to ensure accessibility.
“It’s important there’s still a way for the industry across all areas of waste and recycling to come together,” she says.
“There are other conferences focused on one stream, but this brings everyone into the same room.
“This is where those conversations happen. I just encourage people to come, visit the exhibitors, listen, learn, ask questions and be part of it.”
Waste Expo 2026 will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre from 28 to 29 October.
For more information, visit: www.wasteexpoaustralia.com.au
