MRA has turned 15!

By Mike Ritchie, Director, MRA Consulting Group

MRA Consulting Group celebrates its 15^th birthday this year. And what a journey it has been.

In those few years MRA has established itself as the leading consultant in waste management, resource recovery and Circular Economy. MRA has grown from a team of 2 working from a garage to 40 people, with representation throughout Australia and internationally.

MRA has always been up front about why we are here – to make Australian waste and recycling more economically rational, sustainable and future proof. 

I put the success down to being laser focussed on meeting client needs, to government policy reform over that time and to a group of committed, smart consultants.

Here are a few highlights that demonstrate the change in waste over 15 years that the MRA team has been able to assist: 

1. Recycling in Australia has grown by almost 50% to 43MT/yr in 2024. That is massive. It is partly due to governments rebalancing the economics via landfill levies, cost innovations by smart businesses and local government driving local reform.
2. The industry has grown its employment base by 225% over that time. (From 29,000 to 65,000). Indirect jobs growth is at least double that again. It is fantastic that we employ over 65,000 people directly, all helping to save the planet. How good are we! Congratulations.
3. 15 MT/yr of additional C&D, C&I and MSW recovery has been achieved via the investment of $30B in infrastructure, processing, trucks and new manufacturing solutions. From the biggest $1B EfW facilities, $160m C&D processing facilities right down to the smallest and most humble sorting platform run by a family skip operator who can now afford to recover bricks and dirt rather than landfill it. It all counts. And that is great.
4. Organics recovery has grown by 50% to 9 MT now particularly with the addition of food waste capture as a focus for councils and businesses. That is a huge improvement! It is likely to keep growing rapidly as we drive organics out of landfill to reduce emissions.
5. Landfill gas emissions have already fallen from 16MT/yr CO₂-e to 10 MT/yr CO₂-e in the last decade due to the actions of the sector. No other industry can claim a 37.5% reduction in emissions without massive government support.
6. The expansion of CDS schemes has reduced litter by 40% since 2010.

That is a pretty solid list!

Sure, there is plenty more to do but it is worth taking stock every now and again. 

MRA has assisted in all of those reforms. 

We have been a strong advocate for liberating market forces to do the heavy lifting. Properly pricing landfills and greenhouse emissions to allow businesses to make rational economic decisions. Providing good data to support policy and business case arguments.

MRA has assisted over 500 waste and recycling companies to innovate, grow and to invest. We have provided auditing services to over 22,000 businesses and hundreds of Councils. Our specialised knowledge of waste and resource recovery gives us the edge when gaining planning approvals, environmental licensing and operational management for our clients. We have cleaned up flood waste from 41 NSW Councils across 835 sites. We have run reuse programs in shopping centres and run massive Circular Economy plans for airlines and retailers.

We have worked with the C&D sector to drive millions of tonnes out of landfill. Councils have led the charge on diverting organics from landfill with policy and data support from our team.

We have helped businesses and Councils modernise their landfills, introduce rigorous economic decision-making and preserve void space as the valuable asset that it is. All at the same time as driving down landfill emissions and driving up gas capture rates.

Over the years MRA has employed over 100 young people and turned them into waste experts. They have gone out into the world to do some amazing things. From global sustainability manager for hotel chains to investment banking and waste managers across the economy. MRA is very proud of the fact we are able to support the industry in this way. 

Thank you. To our clients, to governments that have driven reform and to everyday people who have supported a more sustainable planet.

As a father of two young women with their whole lives ahead of them, I thank you for your efforts to make Australia slightly more sustainable and slightly more prepared for a greenhouse future.

Every MRA client has helped build our resilience. Whether it be recovering materials from landfill, better economic arrangements, new innovative processing, better packaging, substituting one material with another, circular economy initiatives, applying AI, more efficient collections, better planning or just better auditing and reporting, it all helps.

Mike Ritchie, is the Managing Director of MRA Consulting Group.