An Interview with the award-winning Jelena Hercegovac (Repurpose It)

Can you share with our readers a bit about Repurpose It and your role as the General Manager of Environment and Sustainability?

I bring experience in environmental management and regulatory compliance to ensure our clients feel confident that our products have been handled appropriately from a regulatory compliance and quality perspective.

I work in collaboration with the Victorian EPA (Environment Protection Authority) to ensure Repurpose It continues to operate as a business set on revolutionising the waste management and resource recovery space, as well as complying with our General Environmental Duty under the new EPA Act.

My primary goal is making sure that regulatory compliance is always at the forefront of everything we do and in accordance with the law. This gives clients the peace of mind that Repurpose It products are of the highest quality and compliant with regulations and standards.

Another key task for my team is to make sure that they are providing best-practice training to all employees, embedding a culture of environmental awareness and risk mitigation. Every team member has their part to play when it comes to fulfilling our General Environmental Duty.

How did you come to be where you are in your career today and what achievements are you most proud of?

Prior to Repurpose It, I worked as a consultant in the contaminated land industry specialising in the areas of environmental management and compliance, contamination site assessments, and human health and environmental risk assessment.

In my early career, I focused on pollution, contamination clean-up and protection of human health and the environment. I now draw on my experience to influence more recycling and sustainability.

It was while working in the contaminated land industry that I crossed paths with Repurpose It – I used to consult for them.

The company’s goal of to changing people’s perception of materials they initially regard as unwanted and turn them into something usable, aligns with my own passion in preserving natural resources.

So, when I was asked to join the Repurpose It team, I was incredibly excited for the opportunity.

Some key achievements at Repurpose It include:

• Oversight and management of EPA regulatory approval submissions on behalf of Repurpose It. This includes key licences under the new EPA Act including the application of all new EPA licences and development licence of Repurpose Its organic waste and processing facility in Epping. This facility can receive municipal and commercial food organics and garden organics wastes and process them into compost.
• Through my extensive experience in the industry, I give clients confidence that the products Repurpose It is producing have been handled appropriately, from both a regulatory compliance and quality perspective. This involves regular testing of material samples to satisfy EPA requirements.
• As an EPA licenced facility, it is vital we manage all our waste streams I manage all facets of incoming waste compliance and explain the terms of our licence in easy-to-understand language with our clients, and maintain ongoing conversations to maximise landfill diversion, whilst ensuring processes and material supply are safe and covered under our EPA licence.
• I advocate for the broader industry for important policy changes and I’m a member of several different associations including Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR).

I understand you were recently awarded the Woman of Waste 2023 Award! Congratulations! Could you share with us what this recognition meant to you and why you were awarded such a prestigious award?

I feel extremely humbled to have been selected as the winner. It was truly such an honour and a privilege to be recognised alongside the incredible calibre of the inspiring women finalists whose dedication and leadership contributes so much to our industry. Mentoring young professionals in our industry and encouraging and empowering more women to join the STEMM sector is something I’ve always been so passionate about and a career legacy I aspire to leave behind, which is what made this award that much more meaningful and special to me.

My passion towards protecting the environment and giving back to our natural ecosystems and communities is something that’s so close to my heart and has been at the core of pursuing the career I have chosen. This vision has always inspired me to actively engage with various industry associations and be part of these important conversations that foster better environmental outcomes. Our collective efforts are required to help Australia become leaders in the global race of waste reduction and hopefully this award is recognition of my commitment in advocating for our broader industry and supporting our circular economy journey.

I understand that Repurpose It launched Australia’s first washing plant facility. Given this edition of e-cronicle is about technology and innovation, I’d love to hear about any hurdles or challenges your company might have faced through the creation of this innovative plant?

Recycled material was new to the industry. Historically, the industry utilised extractive virgin materials for infrastructure projects.

Whilst our wash plant features world leading technology, there were challenges in bringing the recycled materials to market. The team worked closely with industry bodies to change the specifications to accept recyclable materials of a higher grade. This modernised the specifications, as the industry has traditionally only used recyclables when utilising low-grade materials. An example of a product we produce from our wash plant is sand. Globally, we use 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel each year. “Sand resources are not infinite, and we need to use them wisely.” We have recycled sand materials that can be used in large infrastructure projects in the community.

Shifting the mindset

The perception that recycled materials are inferior to virgin material must be challenged and changed. To alleviate consumer concern, I manage an experienced in-house Environmental team who alongside with product experts to ensure products meet stringent guidelines. We work closely with industry and speak at industry events about recycled materials, helping change public sentiment.

What is your vision for the plant and the impact it will have on Australia’s industry 10 to 15 years from now?

Even in the last five years we have made such a significant impact on the industry, diverting millions on tonnes from landfill.

Last year we also launched a second soil wash plant, drastically increasing our capacity for washing contaminated soil.

We want to continue to innovate. We will always look to see what the emerging issues and contaminants are and try and find solutions for them.

You work together with the EPA to ensure that Repurpose It meets the satisfactory requirements for environmental compliance, risk management and sustainable best practices. Can you share with our readers how you go about this work?

With the new EPA act, organisations still need to finalise their permission requirements.

We are proud that are Repurpose It, we already have all our licenses under the new Act, but it does take time and resources to complete all required paperwork.

It is so important we have EPA licensed facilities to help up meet National Waste targets.

While Australia has intensified its efforts to drive the transition towards a circular economy, the realities are that we’re not on track to meet our National Waste targets and we hope 2024 will see a greater collaboration of regulators, industry and the community as we tackle some of these challenges including regulatory gaps; lack of existing infrastructure and domestic markets for reprocessed material; and policy barriers.

As a business based in Victoria, regulatory compliance will be critical as we anticipate that more companies will finalise their permission requirements under the new Environmental Protection Act 2017 and the Environmental Protection Regulations 2021. Community education will also play a big role in 2024, particularly as we support more Councils rolling out their FOGO collections.

You’ve mentioned before that the EP Act and the EP Regulations have impacted the resource recovery and waste sector significantly. Could you elaborate more on some of the changes made to the sector?

The new Environmental Protection Act 2017 (EP Act) and the Environmental Protection Regulations 2021, which came into effect on 1 July 2021, have had a significant impact on environmental management and protection, particularly for the resource recovery and waste sector.

One of the main changes is the need for EPA operating licencing or permission to handle waste material that were previously regulated differently. Under the new Act, waste management hierarchy is one of the principles of environmental protection, which fundamentally aligns with the vision of Repurpose It. The new EPA Act and Regulations, coupled with broader government policy, support a catalyst of change away from traditional waste management methods where rubbish ends up in landfill and a demand for resource recovery, such as reuse of soil and other materials that have a recycled component.

We are really proud that we have EPA licences under the new act for all our sites.

When looking back on your career, what are some of the highlights and key things you’ve learnt that you’d like to share with our members?

As a woman in an often male-dominated sector, I’m passionate about having strong, female role models and encouraging more women to join the STEMM network is something that still requires a lot of effort. During my career to date advocating for a greater gender equality and supporting diversity within our work force has always been important to me.

Mentoring of graduates and junior professionals, both at work and through other associations, including the Engineers of Australia and Melbourne University mentoring programs, has been one of my career highlights also. The wonderful support of mentors I’ve had since the early days of my graduate role has defined and shaped my career today and being able to give back and do the same for others is something I’m really passionate about.

Reflecting on my career there are ample of lessons I’ve learnt. There are no silly questions; it’s okay to ask for help; seek clarification when in doubt and don’t make assumptions; you will not be an expert in everything so collaboration and working with others is crucial. We spend so much time at work it’s so important to enjoy what you do and find your purpose. Take risks and give things a go – redirecting my career from consulting to industry felt like such a big daunting transition at the time but it’s been so rewarding and fulfilling (and if it doesn’t work out that’s okay too – there will always be other options and mentors/family/friends who can guide you along the way).

Jelena Hercegovac General Manager - Environment & Sustainability BIO

Sharing our passion for pursuing sustainable and environmentally sound solutions for a better future, Jelena supports the Repurpose It businesses in all facets of environmental compliance, environmental risk management and sustainability best practice as Group Head of Environment & Sustainability.

Since 2019, Jelena has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to Repurpose It, listed on the National Engineering Register (NER) and APEC Engineer Register, as well as being a member of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) in the areas of “Environmental Engineering” and “Risk Engineering”.

Her immense experience in environmental management, regulatory compliance and undertaking human health and environmental risk assessments across various sectors ensures our clients feel confident that our products have been handled appropriately from a regulatory compliance and quality perspective.

Jelena works in collaboration with the Victorian EPA (Environment Protection Authority) to ensure Repurpose It continues to operate as a business set on revolutionising the waste management and resource recovery space, as well as complying with our general environmental duty.

Article Published on 31/05/2024

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