Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia

What Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia does

WMRR is the national peak body for Australia's waste and resource recovery (WARR) industry, headquartered in Glebe, Sydney (57 St Johns Road, NSW 2037) and led by CEO Gayle Sloan (appointed November 2016) and National President Geoffrey Webster (elected May 2021). The organisation, originally established as the Waste Management Association of Australia, rebranded to WMRR to reflect an expanded scope across the full waste value chain — collections, landfill, resource recovery, and energy from waste. WMRR represents the sector that contributes an estimated $15.5 billion to the Australian economy, handles more than 50 million tonnes of waste annually, and employs over 50,000 people. Its peak membership roster includes Australia's largest waste operators — Cleanaway (5,900+ employees), SUEZ, Veolia (4,000+ employees), Remondis, ResourceCo, and Re.Group — each holding Board representation.

The association's core products are membership services, policy advocacy and submissions, events and conferences (including the Australian Landfill & Transfer Stations Conference and annual Gala Awards), award programs (WARR Awards, Women in Environment Award, Australian Resource Recovery Awards), and the WMAA Career Centre (jobsinwaste.com.au), a dedicated waste-sector employment platform launched in 2016. WMRR maintains state branches, working groups, and a member portal powered by standard association SaaS (iMIS/YourMembership). The technology layer is conventional — there is no proprietary software, AI capability, or custom platform.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership fees paid by industry operators, local governments, consultants, and product stewardship organisations, supplemented by event registration, sponsorship (e.g., Blue Environment for the Women in Environment Award), and awards-related income. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Beyond its six premium Peak Members, the broader membership base includes local councils, environmental consultants, and product stewardship organisations, with WMRR functioning as a horizontal segment aggregator rather than a vendor to enterprise customers. The organisation does not disclose its financials, and there is no evidence of external investment, parent company ownership, or private equity involvement.

Name

Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia

Legal name

Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia

Website

https://wmrr.asn.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

WMRR is the national peak body for Australia's waste and resource recovery industry, providing membership, advocacy, events, awards, and careers services to operators, local governments, and consultants across a $15.5 billion sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association / Trade Body

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (56), All Other Waste Management Services (56299)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) Collection Events & Programs (EUAIAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection & Program Operations (BPALAFAL), WtE Plant Development, EPC & O&M Services (Project delivery and operations) (EUAAAKAK)

Keywords

• Waste management association
• Resource recovery industry
• Industry advocacy
• Circular economy
• Recycling industry

Headquarters

HQ city

Glebe

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: WMRR generates revenue through membership fees paid by industry operators, local governments, consultants, and product stewardship organisations. Members receive networking opportunities, discounts on events, participation in working groups and state branches, and access to industry news and advocacy services.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WMRR is the national peak body for Australia's waste and resource recovery industry, delivering membership services, policy advocacy, industry resources, networking events and conferences, awards programs, and a sector-specific career centre. It represents the full breadth of the industry including collections, landfill, resource recovery, and energy from waste.

Product overview

The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) is a national peak body representing the waste and resource recovery industry. Rather than offering a unified software product, WMRR provides a portfolio of member services including advocacy and policy representation, industry resources, networking events and conferences, and an awards program. The association also operates the WMAA Career Centre (jobsinwaste.com.au), an employment platform for the sector. Key programs include the Australian Landfill & Transfer Stations Innovation and Excellence Awards and the Women in Environment Award. The organization focuses on policy advocacy, industry development, and representing the interests of over 50,000 workers in the sector contributing approximately $15.5 billion to the Australian economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WMRR Membership Services Annual membership program for waste and resource recovery operators, local governments, consultants, and product stewardship organisations. Members receive networking opportunities, event discounts, access to working groups and state branches, industry news, and policy advocacy services.
• Advocacy and Industry Resources Policy and advocacy services for the waste and resource recovery sector, including submissions to government, consultation responses, industry reports, and an extensive media release archive.
• Events and Conferences Educational and networking events across Australia, including the annual Australian Landfill & Transfer Stations (ALTS) Conference, Gala and Awards Dinner, and state branch events.
• WMAA Career Centre (jobsinwaste.com.au) Employment platform connecting waste and resource recovery professionals with employers across the sector, spanning all disciplines and career stages.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every 10,000 tonnes of waste recycled, more than 9.2 direct jobs and 1.87 indirect jobs are created
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Veolia Australia and New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeolia Australia and New Zealand became the fifth Peak Member of WMRR's Board in November 2018. The company is a leading provider of environmental solutions across water, wastewater, industrial cleaning, waste management, resource recovery, and energy services. CEO Danny Conlon joins the WMRR Board as peak member director. Combined with other Peak Members (SUEZ, ResourceCo, Cleanaway, Remondis), these organisations represent the full gamut of the industry including collections, energy from waste, resource recovery, and landfill.
• Cleanaway Waste Management LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleanaway Waste Management Ltd became a Peak Member of WMRR in September 2018. It is Australia's largest total waste management solutions company, employing over 5,900 people and servicing customers ranging from small businesses to large multi-national commercial and industrial organisations. CEO Vik Bansal joined the WMRR Board as peak member director.
• ResourceCocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResourceCo became a Peak Member of WMRR in May 2018. It is one of Australia's leading resource recovery businesses, accepting and processing over two million tonnes of material per annum through state-of-the-art facilities that manufacture quality recycled products and fuel from various material streams. CEO Ben Sawley joined the WMRR Board as peak member director.
• Remondis AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRemondis Australia holds Peak Membership on the WMRR Board under the new Peak Membership category. Managing Director Luke Agati has expanded Remondis services nationally to Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Remondis has over 50 waste-to-energy facilities globally and is the second largest operator in that space.
• SUEZ Australia New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUEZ Australia New Zealand holds Peak Membership on the WMRR Board. CEO Mark Vanhoek has significant global experience across the SUEZ group, including leading waste management operations across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, mainland China and South-East Asia, and positions in Europe.
• Australian Greens / Senator Peter Whish-WilsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSenator Peter Whish-Wilson championed the Federal Senate Inquiry into Australia's waste and recycling industry, resulting in the report 'Never waste a crisis: the waste and recycling industry in Australia'. WMRR worked with Senator Whish-Wilson to advocate for federal leadership and the circular economy.
• Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWMRR collaborated with ACOR and other industry associations in providing feedback during APCO consultations on the Towards 2025 packaging paper and recycling label initiatives.
• Bioenergy AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWMRR and Bioenergy Australia embarked on an energy from waste education journey in 2019, unveiling the first in a series of EfW fact sheets to help community, media, and politicians understand energy from waste.
• Blue EnvironmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Environment sponsors the WMAA Women in the Environment Award and has been championing women in the industry for a decade through the award program. Managing Director Christine Wardle participated as judge and presenter at award ceremonies.
• Tyre Stewardship AustraliaminorGTM or Marketing Partner2017 Women in Environment Award winner Jade Barnaby developed a world-first verification process for cradle-to-grave recycling of tyres as National Accreditation and Compliance Manager with Tyre Stewardship Australia.
• WRAP UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWMRR advocates for adopting the WRAP UK model in Australia as an independent third party organisation that collates data and forges partnerships between government, business, and community to drive a sustainable economy. WRAP UK's Love Food Hate Waste campaign reduced avoidable household food waste by 21% in the UK.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Industry Group (Ai Group): Major Australian employer association covering a wide range of industries including resources, manufacturing, and services. Comparable to WMRR as a broad industry body representing employer interests in policy, but operating at significantly greater scale and with a non-specialised mandate.

Direct peers

• Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR): Australia's national peak body for the recycling sector, directly comparable to WMRR as a membership-based industry association advocating on recycling policy, packaging, and product stewardship. WMRR explicitly lists ACOR as a partner in APCO consultations, underscoring the direct overlap.
• National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA): US national trade association representing the private waste and recycling industry. Comparable scale and scope to WMRR, with a similar mix of advocacy, events, and member services for collection, landfill, and resource recovery operators.
• International Solid Waste Association (ISWA): Global network of waste management professionals and associations. Comparable to WMRR as a peak body promoting knowledge exchange, working groups, and policy advocacy across the international waste and resource recovery community.
• Chemistry Australia: Australian peak body for the chemicals sector, with overlapping product stewardship and circular economy interests. Comparable to WMRR in operating model (membership-funded, advocacy-led, events-driven) and as a partner in policy submissions on plastics and packaging.

Emerging players

• Bioenergy Australia: Australian peak body for the bioenergy sector, including energy from waste. WMRR has an active partnership with Bioenergy Australia on EfW education, indicating directly overlapping advocacy and member constituencies.
• Environmental Industries Australia (EIA): Australian peak body representing environmental industries including waste, water, and clean technology. Adjacent to WMRR with overlapping members in the waste and resource recovery space, but with a broader environmental mandate.

Regional players

• Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP): European association representing operators of waste-to-energy plants. Comparable to WMRR's EfW advocacy function, particularly around cap licensing and policy, but focused exclusively on the thermal treatment sub-sector.
• WasteMINZ (Waste Management Institute of New Zealand): New Zealand's national peak body for the waste management and resource recovery sector. Closest international counterpart to WMRR, with a near-identical mandate (advocacy, events, awards) operating in a smaller market across the Tasman.
• Environmental Services Association (ESA) UK: UK trade association representing resource and waste management companies. Similar in mission and structure to WMRR, with comparable priorities on circular economy, EfW, and materials recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WMRRAus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wmrr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia