Professor Veena Sahajwalla has a strategy for tipping recyclable material straight back into the economy. Veena Sahajwalla has launched the world’s first e-waste microfactory and plans to export the model throughout Australia, and the globe.  She views waste as an opportunity, not a problem, and hopes to roll out the microfactory model across the world.

The present and future of e-waste plastics recycling

In 2018, Sahajwalla launched the world’s first e-waste microfactory, where valuable metal alloys are extracted from discarded smartphones, laptops and circuit boards.

Now she’s converting waste materials, such as the glass, plastic and textiles Australia previously exported or sent to landfill, into industrial-grade ceramics inside a second microfactory. She also plans to roll out her microfactory model across the country and, ultimately, the world.