Haydee Forster has been appointed as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Australian Resources Recovery Council (ARRC).
She takes over from the long-serving Rick Ralph, who is retiring after more than four decades within the country’s waste and recycling sector.
Forster herself brings more than two-and-a-half decades of executive experience in waste and resources recovery, governance, safety and systems management, most recently serving as director of work health and safety at Services Australia.
ARRC members provide Australian businesses, governments and communities access to essential waste, resource recovery and recycling services.
This includes recovering materials such as biogas, plastics, tyres, metals, garden and food organics, as well as engineering fuels for energy.
In the 2023-2024 financial year, the industry directly employed 45,479 Australians, contributing more than $7.3 billion in industry value added to the economy.
Australia is believed to generate around 2.88 tonnes of waste per person annually, according to a national report released by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water late last year.
The incoming CEO has indicated her focus over the next 12 months will be on ARRC’s role serving as a business advocate for the industry and pursuing significant policy reforms.
“ARRC exists to advocate for Australian resources recovery and waste management companies, but we also want to expand the strength and breadth of the sector to further bolster the Australian economy,” Forster says.
Her priorities also include long-term carbon abatement and building locally secure, sustainable manufacturing bases for recovered and reused materials.
“My first trip as CEO will be to Canberra to meet with national leaders on key environmental policy reforms, including the government’s Safeguard Mechanism, green steel, and local manufacturing agendas,” Forster says.
Read more: The revenue in your rubbish: Calculating the impact of container deposit schemes
