How the ‘Queen of Waste’ is revolutionizing manufacturing
At JUNK.com.au our mission is to perform an efficient rubbish removal service that reduces landfill and recycles wherever possible. If Australians have a chance at changing the bleak future that climate is bringing, then the rubbish removal industry is going to have to evolve its environmental obligations and objectives.
On average every Australian uses 53 kilograms of plastic a year. An issue Professor Veena Sahajwalla aka ‘The Queen of Waste’ is working tirelessly towards curbing in the future.
The remarkable thing about Professor Sahajwalla is she doesn’t see waste as irrelevant material. She is a revolutionary and an inventor, who’s trying to change the recycling industry and indeed the world.
In a tell-all interview for ABC’s ‘Australian Story’ program, Professor Sahajwalla said the time to address new ways of repurposing our waste is right now. Her eureka moment came with the simple idea of “green ceramics’ ‘where people can use tiles made from glass, second-hand clothes, and mattresses for their bathrooms and kitchens.
LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN: Something borrowed for something new
These products are made from new innovative technology that is set to revolutionize the manufacturing industry, and hopefully, symbolize a new direction of responsible waste management in Australia and the world.
It took Professor Sahajwalla years to perfect the combination, yet through a series of machines, she’s labeled a “micro-factory”, textile recycling is taking huge leaps forward.
Textile recycling is when individual components of old/used garments can be reused. Professor Sahajwalla describes it as breaking down fabrics into a form where they can be remolded into new yarns.
“At the macro-level, the textile can rip and tear, but at the micro-level, a lot of fibers are still well and truly alive”.
Combating climate change remains an uphill battle, yet Professor Sahajwalla believes Micro-factories offer ‘the ultimate empowerment.
“To me, that is the ultimate empowerment — to be locally producing [materials] yourself”.
“Let’s be exporting the products out to the world … filaments are something that everybody in the world will be using as people do more and more 3D printing,” she says.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE RECYCLING INDUSTRY TODAY
JUNK.com.au is inspired by Professor Sahajwalla’s story and innovations. We understand our business must reduce landfills and recycle, so we make sure our practices and business model are upholding the environment as much as possible.
If you’re interested in hiring our JUNK Crew: Call 0433 444 555 for a quote today.
If you’re interested in exploring Professor Sahajwalla’s story further you can watch her ‘Australian Story’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fkbQynfSyY&t=1s
Or visit these ABC news articles for more information: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-22/veena-sahajwalla-recyling-revolution-green-ceramics/13041936
