The Victorian Government’s ecologiQ program will hold a three-day conference at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to bring together leaders in sustainability, infrastructure and research, to plan pathways to a greener recycling future and explore how to take it even further.
The initiative is leveraging the state’s significant infrastructure investment to boost the use of recycled and reused materials, make these products business-as-usual and build local markets.
The event, from September 18-20, builds on the resounding success of last year’s inaugural conference, which was attended by almost 900 industry leaders across the infrastructure, government and sustainability sectors.
The trade hall was brimming with innovative suppliers and manufacturers of recycled products and led to some incredible success stories.
One of them was OC Connections Enterprises – an Oakleigh-based social enterprise that employs people with disabilities and manufactures 100 per cent recycled traffic bollards.
The conference resulted in construction teams ordering more than 4000 bollards, while other suppliers of products made with recycled material – including recycled plastic railway sleepers and pavement made from discarded tyres – have also reported a boost in sales.
This year’s trade hall will be filled with even more makers of waste-to-resource products, who are a growing part of Victoria’s $31 billion manufacturing industry.
As Victoria transitions to a circular economy, these businesses will take on even greater importance. ecologiQ will connect them to a sustainable pipeline of demand, using a program called the Recycled First Policy to drive action.
The initiative requires constructors on Victorian Big Build projects to optimise their use of waste materials. It has resulted in almost three million tonnes of recycled materials being committed to transport projects – more than enough to fill the MCG.
The Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria plan underpins these efforts with funding to grow recycled material suppliers.
The transition to a circular economy is anticipated to create 3900 new jobs and boost the economy by up to $6.7 billion.
Major Road Projects Victoria Program Services and Engineering director, Alexis Davison, said he was proud that Victoria’s biggest road and rail projects had been such a powerful force for positive change in driving a circular economy.
“Our continued ambition will ensure Victoria stays at the forefront of innovative use of recycled and re-used materials,” he said.
“The flow-on economic, environmental and social benefits of Victoria’s transition to a circular economy will be felt for decades to come.”
To register, visit this site.
For more information, visit ecologiq.vic.gov.au.
