ABC Radio National podcast

The ABC Radio National's Big Ideas podcast service has featured an interview with UNSW SMaRT Centre Director, Prof Veena, about the need for more alignment of, and innovation in, recycling and manufacturing.

Click here to listen to the interview on the ABC website

By the ABC:

In the mind of Veena Sahajwalla, the way we think about waste is rubbish. The award-winning scientist — who's also been dubbed Australia's "queen of waste" — wants to start a revolution in recycling.

For her, recycling doesn't need to replace like-for-like.

Instead, she wants us to imagine a future where all things can be unmade into their component parts, like turning old tyres into steel (something Professor Sahajwalla's pioneered).

In this talk from the Australian Museum, the inventor of green steel tells us why we're on the cusp of a recycling revolution.

Waste Not, Want Not, was first recorded for the Australian Museum's Eureka Talks series on June 10, 2023. 

Speakers: 

Veena Sahajwalla
The inventor of polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2022, she was named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year in recognition of her work. She is the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW.  

Jackson Ryan
Editor, CNET.com

Credits

• Antony Funnell, Presenter
• Alan Weedon, Producer
• David Le May, Sound Engineer