Waste Expo Australia 2024 will be the launching pad for new ideas and breakthrough products.
Waste Expo Australia has always provided a platform dedicated to advancing best practices in waste management. It’s the go-to event for industry stakeholders and decision-makers who want to transform materials, increase recovery, and reduce landfill waste.
The 2024 event, to be held in Melbourne on 23-24 October, is raising the bar and will be the launching pad of breakthrough technology set to revolutionise the food industry and reuse system.
Jeff Lang, Managing Director of Agentel, a company specialising in commercialising new Australian technologies, describes the expo as “the most profound show in Australia in relation to waste management”.
“We’ve been to these expos the past few years and knew this was the show we need to be in when we were ready to showcase our tech,” he says.
This year, they’re ready.
Jeff will unveil new technology that mills waste materials into a fine powder. What makes the Vortek different from anything else on the market is that it uses an air vortex to break material down at an atomic level instead of mechanical blade shearing.
Trials so far have been successful on plant-based waste, glass, and rubber. Jeff says they’ve just begun to scratch the surface of the technology’s benefits for the commercial food industry.
“If you look overall at plant-based food coming off the farm, more than 50 per cent of what is grown never sees the consumer – it’s all going to waste,” Jeff says. “We’re looking at how we can redefine waste reduction protocols. Can we turn it into a viable commodity? When you mill these materials back into a super fine powder, it opens opportunities for what previously was a waste material.
“We’re all realising the importance of waste reduction, but it can sometimes be put in the too hard basket. We’re putting our hand up; we have the technology.”
Jeff says Vortek is commercially viable, and he’s keen to test the market at Waste Expo Australia. The cross-section of attendees, from councils to bigger players in the packaging sector, makes it an ideal proving ground.
Brent Murray, Strategic Account Manager for TOMRA Collection, agrees that the culmination of key industry partners and those in the emerging circular economy is a key attraction for many exhibitors.
Previously, TOMRA demonstrated its small-format reverse vending machine at Waste Expo; it’s now been rolled out in Container Deposit Schemes across Australia.
This year, the company will showcase what Brent describes as a game changer in the circular economy.
TOMRA Collection deployed the world’s first city-wide reuse system in Denmark early in 2024 and will bring the technology to Waste Expo to gauge domestic interest.
“It will showcase how a larger-scale reuse system could operate in the right legislative conditions,” Brent says.
“We’re hoping for some positive feedback and heightened engagement in our service offering.”
It’s positive feedback that has put Waste Expo firmly on Scott Russ’s radar.
The recently appointed Acting General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Wastech Engineering, says Waste Expo has always been a premier event for the company because of the calibre of suppliers demonstrating their product range. This year, Wastech is going bigger to provide an overview of the solutions and technologies it can offer the industry. All of the Wastech team will also be at the expo to ensure engagement.
“That’s one of the things about Waste Expo. There are good discussions to be had. People want to talk and understand the products,” Scott says.
“We had quite a few inquiries about new technology last year that we’ve taken on board. It helps us consider other products and solutions we might need to represent to assist the market.
“One of the key things that we’re really focusing on is being the leading provider of solutions for Australia’s waste and recycling sectors. So, if we have to take on other products that support the market, then we will.”
Waste Expo is a free event co-located with All Energy Australia at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The two-day event will feature hundreds of exhibitors, products, and services.
You will also hear from leading voices in the industry with a complete conference program of tailored content across four stages. The expo is held in conjunction with the 2024 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards.
For more information, visit: www.wasteexpo.com.au
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