enrich360 recognised at the 2026 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards

enrich360 has been named a finalist in the Outstanding Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR): Metro category at the 2026 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards for its Food Waste Diversion at the Source: A New Model for High-Rise Living project.

The recognition reflects work that has been central to enrich360 from the beginning: finding practical ways to manage food waste where it is created rather than relying solely on traditional collection and transport models.

A different approach to food waste in apartments

Food waste in multi-unit dwellings presents a unique challenge.

Residents may live many floors away from communal waste areas, contamination can be difficult to manage and traditional organics collection systems rely heavily on ongoing resident participation.

The project set out to test whether food waste could instead be managed inside the home, at the source.

Working with residents at Marina Square in Parramatta, Sydney, enrich360 delivered a 12-week pilot involving 50 households using benchtop food waste recycling technology.

Over the trial, participating households diverted 2,028 litres of food waste, reduced weekly waste by 1-2 bags and avoided an estimated 1,810 kilograms of CO₂e.

Importantly, the project wasn’t only about the technology.

It looked at resident behaviour, education, participation, data collection and what is required to make food waste diversion work in a high-rise environment.

At the completion of the pilot, approximately half of participating households chose to keep their units, providing another important measure of whether the solution could work beyond a controlled trial.

Diverting food waste before it becomes a waste problem

For enrich360, the project represents a broader shift in thinking about food waste.

Rather than automatically putting food waste into a bin and transporting it somewhere else, source diversion creates an opportunity to reduce its volume where it is generated and recover the valuable nutrients it contains.

enrich360 CEO Jaclyn Geddes said the recognition was particularly meaningful for a small team working to challenge conventional approaches to food waste.

“Food waste is heavy, it’s mostly water and our default is to spend a lot of time and money moving it around.

“We’ve always believed there is an opportunity to do more at the source. This project allowed us to test that in one of the more challenging environments, high-rise residential living, and actually measure what happened.

“There have been plenty of lessons along the way, but that’s exactly why projects like this matter. We need to keep testing different approaches and building the evidence around what works.”

A second finalist recognition for enrich360

The awards announcement brought another reason for the enrich360 team to celebrate, with CEO Jaclyn Geddes also named a finalist for the 2026 Outstanding Woman in Waste Award.

Geddes is one of 11 finalists from across local government, research, consulting, resource recovery and the circular economy.

“I’ve always believed we rise by lifting others, so to be recognised alongside women doing such incredible work across our industry is a real honour.

“Most of all, I’m incredibly proud of our little enrich360 team and what we continue to build together.”

The winners of the 2026 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards will be announced in Melbourne on 29 October 2026.

For more information on the 2025 bench-top pilot outcomes please visit:

https://greenreview.com.au/business_insight/sustainability-wins-high-rise-communities/

https://www.billbergia.com.au/innovative-food-waste-recycling-pilot-greening-high-rise-living/

https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/enrich-360-technology-diverts-food-waste-at-the-source/

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