Impacts & Benefits

• Diverted significant waste from landfill, with the Re-Use Program diverting around 250 tonnes of waste and avoiding over 780 tonnes CO₂-e since 2016.
• Delivered major financial and operational savings, including more than $530,000 and 36,500 staff hours saved in 2025 through furniture reuse.
• Improved UTAS waste performance, increasing landfill diversion from 21% in 2021 to 37% in 2025, while tripling organic waste collected for FOGO.
• Created social and community benefits, including free garage sales, donations to students and community members, and trusted relationships that support better waste outcomes across campus.

Leadership & Engagement

• Inspired a movement around better waste management, encouraging staff and students to engage more actively in reuse and sustainability.
• Built trust across the University, with colleagues valuing Mary’s responsiveness, professionalism and solutions-focused approach.
• Aligned her work with UTAS’ stewardship values, supporting sustainability outcomes that benefit the environment, society and future generations.
• Demonstrated people-centred leadership, using humour, positivity and strong relationships to turn everyday waste challenges into practical solutions.

Wider Societal Impact

• Extended UTAS’ reuse impact into the wider community, donating furniture and equipment to Men’s Sheds, surf clubs, community centres, schools, Scouts, NGOs and other volunteer groups.
• Built strong community networks, finding practical new homes for hard-to-place items such as large shelving, furniture and specialist equipment.
• Created replicable circular economy models, with other institutions interested in adopting UTAS’ reuse program and waste signage.
• Scaled recycling beyond campus, with Recycling Walls diverting hard-to-recycle items from landfill and inspiring similar initiatives in schools and communities.