Georges River Council and its 2023 Australia Day ambassador fittingly share the same values concerning environment and sustainable communities.
The 2022 NSW Australian of the Year, Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director.
Professor Veena invented polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2018, Veena launched the world’s first e-waste MICROfactorieTM and in 2019 she launched her plastics and Green Ceramics MICROfactoriesTM, a recycling technology breakthrough.
Veena is the director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘microrecycling’, a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new recycling science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits.
Professor Veena has also been appointed hub leader of the national NESP Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. In 2021, Professor Veena featured in the ABC’s Australian Story and in 2022 was awarded an Australian Museum Eureka Prize, taking out the Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science.
Veena will attend the Georges River Council Australia Day Awards on Australia Day, 26 January 2023 in her role as Ambassador and deliver an Australia Day Address.
The awards are presented annually to recognise and honour individuals who have significantly contributed to the Georges River community.
Exceptional achievements and community heroes are recognised in the following categories:
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year
- Citizen of the Year
