Waste consultant Kat Heinrich has won the annual Green Industries SA Women in Waste Award for her contributions to SA’s waste industry.
Ms Heinrich, a senior consultant for Rawtec, has delivered a range of projects to help with resource efficiency, disaster waste management, state waste accounting and waste infrastructure planning.
The award, established in memory of Pam Keating, includes $5000 to assist with travel, accommodation and conference costs, and mentoring from a senior woman executive in the industry.
SA Environment Minister Ian Hunter said he was delighted to present the award to Ms Heinrich.
“Kat’s new project will address the global issue of food waste by investigating best-practices in Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the United States and using this research to drive a step change in food waste reduction and recovery in SA,” Mr Hunter said.
“Congratulations to Kat for her dedication and vision to further SA’s reputation as leader in recycling and resource recovery.”
Ms Heinrich has recently started a blog to share best practices in food waste management from cities globally.
“I am passionate about addressing food waste, which is a significant issue globally, and through this award aim to stimulate a step-wise change in SA,” she said.
“While SA leads the country in waste and resource recovery practices, food waste particularly in the household stream, remains a significant challenge and opportunity for the state.
“Addressing food waste is an important step in transitioning SA to a more circular economy through compost production or other beneficial interventions.”
She said the project will identify potential initiatives that may help SA to take this next step to reduce food waste.