Trinity Schabe’s career path did not begin with a fixed plan. As a teenager, Schabe imagined herself working in architecture. It was a career she could see and understand, and one that seemed to blend creativity with technical thinking. However, that idea began to shift after conversations with a family friend who worked as an architect. Rather than encouraging her down the same path, he suggested she look elsewhere and introduced her to the idea of engineering.
One of the key planks in resource recovery is sustainability. Sustainability had always been present in Schabe’s thinking, even if she did not recognise it as a career path at the time. It surfaced in her everyday interests and schoolwork, such as when she chose to focus on the plastic bag ban, pre its implementation, for a senior school assignment. Despite this, she did not yet connect those interests with a professional role.
She went on to study civil engineering, alongside an arts degree in international relations at the University of Queensland. For much of her university experience, she felt uncertain about what she was working towards. Engineering provided technical skills, but the end goal remained vague, and she struggled to picture how her interests would translate into a job.
That uncertainty continued until her fifth year of study, when an unplanned moment changed everything. Seeing a classmate working on a waste Sankey diagram sparked her curiosity and led her to discover a course dedicated to waste systems. Until then, waste had barely featured in her civil engineering studies, and the realisation that it was a discipline was unexpected. As Schabe later described, this moment stood out clearly to her.
“It was that waste Sankey diagram, essentially,” she recalled. “And I went, that’s really cool. What is that class? I enrolled in the waste course as an elective and quickly found it aligned with my interests. Through the course, I connected with my professor, William Clark, and completed an undergraduate thesis focused on bioplastics. This academic work became my first entry point into the waste sector and introduced me to industry professionals who shared my enthusiasm.”
The experience gave her a sense of direction she had been missing. For the first time, her interests, studies and career path began to align, and she recognised waste engineering as the area she wanted to pursue.
Building experience on the ground
Schabe’s transition into professional work began before she had graduated. She took on an undergraduate role in landfill engineering, focusing on construction quality assurance, and later stayed on as a graduate. The work was practical and often site-based, offering an opportunity to see waste infrastructure in operation rather than only on paper.
“My role involved extensive site work, data collection and quality assurance during construction,” she said. “I worked across a range of locations, including northern New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and spent six months FIFO on site in Roma. These experiences exposed me to different operating conditions and regulatory environments.”
Working at a small consultancy also gave her insight into how smaller councils function. She observed the contrast between well-resourced metropolitan councils and those operating with limited budgets, and how those differences shaped waste infrastructure and decision making.
While the role allowed her to deepen her technical skills, she began to feel ready for a broader challenge. Her work had focused heavily on landfills, and she was keen to expand into larger, more complex projects.
Her current role at Arup came about unexpectedly after she noticed a job advertised on Linkedin. Although the position was listed as senior, it prompted her to explore what waste work within a large multidisciplinary consultancy might look like. Rather than applying directly, she reached out to a former university connection, which led to her joining the firm.
“What appealed to me most was the opportunity to work across disciplines,” she said. “Waste was no longer the sole focus of the organisation, but one part of a much larger system that included planning, engineering and design.”
Since joining Arup, Schabe has spent the past three years working predominantly on waste infrastructure projects. A large part of her work has involved supporting waste-to-energy developments, where her role has evolved over time from technical input to broader project management support.
She has taken on coordination responsibilities, helping align different disciplines and manage the many moving parts involved in large infrastructure projects. While some tasks are routine, such as preparing technical notes or research memos, they contribute to a much bigger picture.
Alongside infrastructure projects, Schabe also works on waste management planning for large buildings and precincts, including stadia, airports and cultural venues. These projects require consideration of how waste systems function within highly visible and heavily used spaces.
“Working on these large projects has allowed me to see how waste fits into complex development,” Schabe said. “Rather than viewing waste in isolation, I can see how it integrates with planning processes, construction and long-term operations.”
Challenges and change in the waste industry
A key part of Schabe’s work involves stakeholder engagement and regulatory consultation, particularly on high-profile projects such as the aforementioned waste-to-energy facilities. Through this process, she has seen how public perception can differ from technical evidence and how difficult it can be to bridge that gap.
She has observed that not all audiences respond to the same information, and that effective engagement often means focusing on those who are open to learning rather than trying to convince entrenched opponents.
Reflecting on the industry more broadly, Schabe notes that despite having worked in waste engineering for five years, she has seen many changes. Progress varies between states, shaped by different regulations and approaches, and at times the pace can feel slow.
However, she believes the industry is currently in a period of transition. New pilot projects are emerging to address waste streams that were previously overlooked, such as textiles and organics. These materials were often sent overseas or to landfill simply because there was no alternative. As Schabe explained, this shift is as much about systems as it is about technology.
“We’re almost at a time where a system is changing,” she said. “I see growing investment in onshore capacity as a positive sign, alongside increasing public interest in doing the right thing. The challenge is ensuring that infrastructure and technology are available at the scale required to support that intent.”
Education also plays a critical role. As councils transition between different bin systems and recovery options, keeping communities informed and engaged is essential. Schabe believes it is important not to lose momentum or public confidence during this period of change.
Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic about the future of the waste industry. Emerging aforementioned technologies with regards to textiles and organics, offer alternatives to landfill that did not previously exist.
Now three and a half years into her role at Arup, Schabe works within a regional and international team, collaborating with colleagues across Australia and beyond. This exposure allows her to continue learning and to see how waste challenges and solutions differ across contexts.
Her career so far reflects both personal curiosity and an industry in transition. What began as uncertainty has developed into a clear professional direction, grounded in practical experience and shaped by a sector that is steadily evolving.