Drisya Pavithran, a Graduate Environmental Consultant at Arcadis, has found herself immersed in a field that constantly challenges and educates her. With a background in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering, Pavithran has built a career in the resource recovery sector – an industry she describes as both dynamic and continually evolving.
“I feel like I’m always learning something new in this industry. And if I stay in it, I know that learning will never stop,” Pavithran said.
Pavithran’s journey to the waste and resource recovery industry began far from Australia. Originally from India and growing up in Oman on the Arabic Peninsula, she was struck by the stark contrast between waste management practices in rural India and Oman. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pavithran travelled to her grandmother’s village in rural India, where waste was often burned due to the lack of proper disposal systems.
“When I was living at my grandmother’s, there were no rubbish trucks. Everything, including plastics and textiles, was burned. I never really thought about the implications of waste management until then,” she said.
This experience, combined with her studies and an internship at a waste management consultancy in India, sparked Pavithran’s interest in the resource recovery space. Despite initially considering a career in wastewater management, her fascination with the environmental challenges posed by waste led her to focus on the broader sector.
Upon completing her Master’s degree at the University of Wollongong in 2022, Pavithran was eager to begin her professional career. Following an unsatisfactory stint in the hospitality industry, she sought a role that would enable her to make a meaningful impact on society. She found the perfect fit at Arcadis, a design and consultancy organisation specialising in natural and built assets, with a team focused on circular economy and waste advisory.
“From the moment I spoke to them, I knew Arcadis was the right place for me. I started working there at the beginning of 2023, and it’s been an incredible learning experience ever since,” she says.
At Arcadis, Pavithran’s role encompasses a range of projects, each offering learning opportunities. She enjoys the variety of tasks, from waste generation and material flow assessments to stakeholder engagement and infrastructure options assessment. One of her first projects at Arcadis involved feedstock assessment for an organisation in southeast Queensland, a niche area she had never encountered during her studies.
“I was working with data, researching into council bin systems, and engaging with stakeholders. It was very hands-on, and I loved the diversity of the work,” she said. “The projects I’ve worked on have been diverse and that’s what I love about my job. For example, my team at Arcadis was involved in delivering the residual waste infrastructure assessment in New South Wales, which was a huge learning platform. I’ve learnt a lot about how to engage with a multitude of stakeholders at once.”
Pavithran works a lot with state and federal government entities and does due diligence work for organisations that want to invest in resource recovery/waste infrastructure.
Does Pavithran enjoy working in the waste industry, and are we doing a good job? “Yes,” she does, and “yes, we are,” she said. Having witnessed waste management practices in rural India, Oman and Australia, Pavithran has a unique perspective on the industry’s challenges and achievements. Despite some criticism of Australia’s waste practices, she believes the country is doing a commendable job.
“The waste industry in Australia is doing a fair job, especially compared to places like India, where the challenges and the real-life implications are much more severe. There is a real passion here for improving the system and meeting targets for resource recovery,” she said.
Pavithran points to the strong push from industry professionals who are determined to meet government-set recovery targets and ensure that waste materials are properly sorted. This commitment to sustainability is one of the things that excites her about the sector.
For Pavithran, every day in the resource recovery industry brings new lessons, not just about the physical aspects of the job, but about the technologies and trends shaping the future. A self-described academic, Pavithran thrives on learning about emerging technologies and innovations in the waste sector.
“We’re all educators at heart, especially when it comes to guiding the younger generation,” she said. “If you’re someone who enjoys learning and making a tangible difference in the world, the waste industry is a great place to be.”
While Pavithran is optimistic about the industry’s progress, she is also aware of its challenges. One of the biggest issues she sees is the mounting pressure on landfill capacity, especially as the Greater Sydney region grapples with increasing amounts of both putrescible and non-putrescible waste.
“I do know that people believe that landfill gate fees should be higher and that we shouldn’t dispose of anything in landfills and there should be resource recovery targets for every waste stream,” she said. “I think the pinch point is going to be the landfill capacity for putrescible and non-putrescible waste. It’s not just an issue for people in the industry, it’s going to be an issue for ratepayers and taxpayers. The future of waste management lies in improving infrastructure including
energy from waste facilities and investing in new technologies, not in opening up more landfills.”
Looking ahead, Pavithran is particularly interested in two areas: the circular economy and product stewardship. She believes that transitioning to a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled, is essential for the future. In particular, she is drawn to the concept of producer responsibility, where manufacturers are accountable for the lifecycle of their products.
Pavithran shares a recent project in which she helped Australian Resilient Flooring Association explore the reuse of resilient flooring materials. Through recycling trials, the team successfully facilitated the repurposing of PVC flooring waste, ultimately leading to a product now sold as garden edging material at Bunnings.
“This kind of reuse is the future,” she said. “We can’t keep relying on virgin products. The more we reuse and recycle, the better it will be for the environment.”
As Pavithran continues her journey in the resource recovery industry, she remains motivated by the opportunity to make a real-world impact. With a focus on circular economy practices and a passion for product stewardship, she is eager to learn more and contribute to shaping a more sustainable future.
“I want to work more in the space of product stewardship because I believe that’s where the future lies. If we can get it right, we’ll be doing more than just managing waste – we’ll be transforming the way we think about resources,” she concludes.