Dates: Sep 2013 - Aug 2016

Region: Australia

Theme: Socio-economic and Environmental Monitoring

The Wealth from Waste Cluster is a major 3-year research collaboration project that aims to identify economically viable options for the recycling of metals from existing products in Australia. It focuses on ‘mining' above ground resources, namely metals contained in collections of discarded manufactured products and consumer goods, and builds on work undertaken by the Mineral Futures Collaboration Cluster (2009-2012), which was led by CSRM.

CSRM leads one of the core research streams, “Recycling Systems: Barriers and Opportunities for Industrial Ecology in Australia”. The overall cluster project is led by the University of Technology, Sydney, and also includes Swinburne University of Technology, Monash University and the Center for Industrial Ecology at Yale University.  An international review panel of 12 industry, government and research organisations has been established to help guide the direction of the work of the cluster and provide expert review.

The Wealth from Waste Cluster will run from 2013-2016, and will be seeking input from industry, research, government, community and other stakeholders at different times over this period. It is funded, primarily, by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO) Flagship Collaboration Fund, and represents significant additional investments by partner universities.

Further details are available at: http://wealthfromwaste.net

Associated CSRM Staff / Students

  • Dr. Glen Corder
  • Dr. Artem Golev
  • Professor Saleem Ali
  • Dr. Daniel Franks

Project Aims

  • Identify the most favourable systems for recycling and industrial ecology within an Australian context and with the potential to be adopted in countries outside Australia
  • Systematically articulate the barriers, enablers and policy options for favourable systems for recycling and industrial ecology that will facilitate the exploitation of metals and alloys in end of life products
  • Identify metals and alloys and the appropriate processes that have the potential to deliver the greatest value from recycling.

Project Partners

  • CSIRO - Minerals Down Under & Future Manufacturing Flagships
  • The University of Technology, Sydney
  • Monash University
  • The University of Queensland
  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • Yale University (USA)
Wealth From Waste - Cluster Project
Sep 2013
Aug 2016

Wealth From Waste - Cluster Project