Revolve Your World's role on Norfolk and beyond

Revolve Your World (RYW), the business that operates the Norfolk Wave Recycling Centre, has a great story. It started as a small recycling concept at music festivals and, with each step, grew in size and ambition. From the Byron Bay Beach Hotel to the Norfolk Wave, RYW's evolution is a testament to its commitment to circular solutions. In 2021, RYW, in conjunction with the Norfolk Island Regional Council (NIRC), embarked on a mission to make Norfolk a beacon of sustainable waste management.

After two years of meticulous planning, community engagement, procurement, and staff training, The Norfolk Wave was launched in August 2023. This is just the beginning of our journey, and we are constantly improving and refining our operations. Our focus is on resource recovery, diverting as much as we can away from landfill and harnessing each material in its purest form for recycling into other products.

On Norfolk, RYW's responsibility lies in managing household and commercial materials. This includes residential rubbish like glass, plastics, metals, cardboard, paper, food and organics, textiles, and small hazardous items like vapes, aerosols and small batteries. We also manage the outputs of commercial businesses such as offices, accommodations, hospitality places, tour companies, etc. The list of materials from commercial and residential sources is similar; the volume differs.

The Norfolk Island Regional Council manage tyres, waste oil, bulky and builders' waste, vehicles, green waste, broken furniture, and large hazardous items.

The outputs of The Norfolk Wave on Island are: high-quality glass sand in 5 different grades; concrete aggregate made from recycled plastic and cardboard; pre-loved clothing for the community; and contributions to NIRC's compost product. We send aluminium and steel away for recycling, and cardboard that exceeds our processing abilities. We also send excess textile items to Lifeline in Australia for rehoming. We're utilising Terracycle and its various programs to knuckle down on smaller, difficult-to-recycle items like razors, dental care products, and cosmetic packaging. Each of these actions is a step towards a cleaner, greener future, and we are proud to be a part of it.

RYW is not just a business, but a collective of passionate, driven, and curious individuals with a shared vision of a circular and sustainable future. Our team is a tapestry of diverse backgrounds, ranging from carpenters and boiler makers to business managers and environmental scientists. As the saying goes, many hands (and heads) make light work. We can find creative and practical solutions to waste management processes when we all work together. Sometimes, these solutions can be as simple as re-ordering a method or acquiring the right equipment for the job. But sometimes, we must invent the wheel from scratch or turn our focus to changing mindsets and education.

The Norfolk Wave is more than a recycling centre; it's a pioneering initiative. We believe in the value of sharing the teachings, technology, and innovation that have emerged from this unique project. We invite the community to join us on this exciting journey through social media, school visits, and soon-to-be Centre tours. We're also taking the story of the Norfolk Wave beyond home, spreading our message of sustainability and innovation at the Festival of Pacific Arts in Hawaii in June.

Thaenks orl yorlyi for the continued support of RYW and the Norfolk Wave team; none of this would be possible without you.

Lil, Dan, Mandi and the team