Winners Scoop $30K for Circular Economy Innovations

University of Newcastle

From gamifying recycling to re-using decommissioned wind turbine blades, the University of Newcastle's Grand Challenge has inspired winning ideas to support a circular economy.

Teams were tasked with developing innovative ideas to help reduce waste, lower carbon emissions and maximise resource efficiency by extending the life of products and materials.

The Circular Economy Grand Challenge, delivered by the University's Integrated Innovation Network (I2N), culminated in an awards ceremony last night where three teams were rewarded with a $10,000 grant to bring their ideas to life.

The University of Newcastle's Grand Challenge is an annual initiative that brings together multi-disciplinary teams – including students, staff, academics, alumni and industry – to address an issue of local and global significance.

Grand Challenge winners stand in a group with winners holding oversized cheques with 10k prize money
Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinksy AO with the winning teams.

$10,000 winner: Every Blade Counts

This project recycles old wind turbine blades into reusable materials instead of sending them to landfill – creating commercial pathways to divert thousands of tonnes of waste while reducing reliance on mining.

Wind turbine blades are extremely difficult to recycle, and as NSW rapidly expands wind energy through Renewable Energy Zones, thousands of tonnes of blade waste are set to accumulate in regional communities.

The project develops cost-effective ways to recover and reuse silica from decommissioned blades, creating new circular markets for construction materials and preventing long-term stockpiling or landfill. By exploring scalable recycling methods, identifying high-value end uses, and supporting councils with research-driven pathways, the team is helping avoid future waste crises while reducing the need for virgin silica mining.

$10,000 winner: Zyora – Upcycled Skincare

Australia produces 75.8 million tonnes of waste each year, including over 14 million tonnes of organic waste — and a surprising portion of that comes from spent yeast produced by breweries, wineries and biotech fermenters.

This project proposes to recover bioactives from yeast waste to create science-backed skincare ingredients. Zyora Upcycled Skincare addresses growing consumer demand for sustainable, transparent and evidence-based beauty products.

$10,000 winner: ReCrete

Australia's construction industry is the country's largest source of waste, with millions of tonnes of concrete ending up stockpiled or buried each year.

ReCrete proposes to repurpose waste concrete as a circular alternative to agricultural lime. By breaking concrete down and using its natural calcium content to neutralise soil acidity, the team demonstrates how one of Australia's most challenging waste streams can be transformed into an environmental resource rather than a landfill burden.

This approach helps the construction sector and agricultural producers by restoring soil health, supporting plant growth, and reducing the emissions associated with lime production.

Best Student Team Award receiving $2000: Grounds to Growth

Grounds to Growth seeks to transform spent coffee grounds into fresh mushrooms. With a vision to use a retrofitted shipping-container mushroom farm, the project proposes to convert café waste into fresh produce for the campus dining hall and return the spent substrate to the community garden as compost, closing the loop from cup to crop.

By replacing landfill with food production, the project delivers environmental, educational, and social value - reducing waste, cutting emissions, enriching soil, and giving students hands-on experience with circular systems.

Rising Star Award receiving $2000: Heavy Matters

This project aims to create a digital platform to enable residents, councils, and community organisations to reclaim items in bulky household waste collections, before they become landfill waste.

By using photo uploads, AI hazard checks, and real-time mapping, the system makes safe, reusable goods visible and accessible to the community. The community-driven reuse system aims to divert bulky items from landfill, reduce illegal dumping, and strengthen social connection by giving reusable goods a second life where they are needed most.

People's Choice Award receiving $2000: Bingage

This project aims to motivate students to recycle thoughtfully, by using a gamified app linked with smart bins. Students earn points and incentives for correct sorting, while the University gains real-time data to improve recycling performance and reduce contamination.

The solution has strong potential to scale across campuses, using positive incentives to turn small daily actions into long-term sustainability habits.

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