Closing the Loop:
FOGO, Soft Plastics and the Circular Economy

Sustainability Seminar

9:00am for a 9:30am start – 12:30pm | Thursday 12 November 2026
Hornsby RSL, 4 High St, Hornsby

Join us for this half-day seminar exploring two key areas shaping the future of sustainable waste and resource management: FOGO rollouts and circular solutions for soft plastics.

The first session will focus on the opportunities and challenges of creating circular solutions for soft plastics, exploring how councils and industry are working to recover, reuse and find new applications for this challenging material stream.

The second session will explore the practical realities of introducing and expanding FOGO services, including lessons from councils at different stages of implementation.

Whether you are working in waste, sustainability, procurement, infrastructure or community engagement, this seminar will provide valuable insights, real-world examples and practical ideas to help advance circularity and resource recovery across your organisation.

After the seminar, we invite you to join us for lunch* and celebrate the achievements of councils, businesses and community groups from across Greater Sydney at the 2026 Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Awards luncheon.

*additional ticket fee applies for the awards luncheon

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
Click here to download the seminar flyer and program in PDF format

0900 Registration, tea and coffee
0930 Welcome and housekeeping Jeanne-Vida Douglas
Head of Innovation | Property Industry Foundation
Closing the Loop on Soft Plastics: Circular solutions, value chains & practical applications
0940 Circular Soft Plastics – CRC Buy Back Program Michael Neville
Team Leader – Strategy, Projects and Education | Hornsby Shire Council		 In a concerted effort to close the loop and boost demand for recycled content products, Hornsby Council now sells a variety of recycled plastic products back to our community. Available at Thornleigh CRC, these are made with 100% recycled content. That contains up to 35% soft plastics.
0955 Activating Council Demand for Australian-Recycled Soft Plastics Justin Bonsey
Managing Director | Tidal Circular		 The barrier to a circular soft plastics economy isn’t recycling — it’s procurement. This session shares how a statewide NSW project tackled it head-on, building a public directory, whole-of-life business-case tools and demand pooling to make Australian-recycled products visible, comparable and procurable.
1010 Closing the Loop on Soft Plastics: From Collection to New Products Speaker TBA
1025 Questions and discussion
1050 Morning tea break
Closing the Loop on Organics: FOGO rollout experiences, models & practical lessons
1115 Getting FOGO Right: Support for NSW Councils Speaker TBA
1130 Planning for the new Food Recycling and fourth bin service in the Hornsby Shire Amanda Free
Senior Waste Programs Coordinator | Hornsby Shire Council		 Hornsby Shire Council will become the second council in NSW to introduce a dedicated food recycling service, commencing July 2027. This presentation will explore the planning undertaken to date, including the rationale for selecting a separate fourth bin model, and key education and community engagement strategies being developed to support a successful rollout.
1145 Our Food Waste Journey – Lane Cove Council Bernadette Riad
Manager Sustainability and Resilience | Lane Cove Council		 Bernadette will provide an overview of the journey Lane Cove Council has taken from planning through to delivery to implement their new Food Waste Service. Launched in March this year with stand-alone houses, the service has delivered outstanding early results, with low contamination and high levels of community support.
1200 Questions and discussion
1220 Wrap Up
1230 End seminar – Awards lunch commences