Richard Kirkman has spent his career transforming how societies manage their resources. Today, as CEO and Managing Director of Veolia Australia and New Zealand, he’s focused on one goal: turning Australia’s environmental challenges into long-term assets.

“The mission, as we sum it up, is ecological transformation,” Kirkman tells host David Jepson on CEO: Behind the Scenes.

“So transforming how we live for the betterment of the ecology of the planet, and at the same time being profitable so that we can reinvest those profits in doing more of it.”

That transformation is happening across three core areas: waste, water and energy.

“Those things are very essential to life,” he says. “To be able to have clean water, to be able to have energy to warm or cool your house and run industry, and to manage the flows of materials in and out of the city, which is really what waste management is about.”

According to Kirkman, Australia is midway through a major shift in how it handles waste.

“People have a recycling bin and a green waste bin at home, but then the residue goes to landfill. A lot of packaging is not recyclable,” he points out.

New technology

One of the most promising solutions is energy from waste technology, which converts non-recyclable waste into usable forms of energy. Kirkman sees it as essential to Australia’s environmental future.

“There’s not many facilities to turn food waste into energy, which is what food is – it’s an energy source, so let’s not throw it away,” he says.

But getting new facilities approved is far from easy.

“It’s really challenging to do that in Australia because there aren’t many examples,” he notes. “There’s one operating facility in Perth, but we probably need 10–15 facilities across the country.”

Public opposition is another key hurdle.

“People have concerns when you’re trying to build new stuff near them,” he adds. “It’s part of our job to get them comfortable with that and show them what it’ll be like once it’s there. Most countries in the world have adopted this technology.”

For Kirkman, success depends not just on infrastructure, but also engaging with the community to reassure them that this is the right direction to take.

“We’ve got to bring our staff and the population and our customers along on this journey,” he enthuses.

Tune into the full conversation on CEO: Behind the Scenes to hear more of Richard Kirkman’s vision for a cleaner, more sustainable Australia.

Listen to the latest episode of our CEO: Behind the Scenes podcast with Richard Kirkman on Amazon, Apple or Spotify.