SMaRT tiles to feature in new National Circularity Centre

Ceramic tiles made by UNSW SMaRT Centre's Green Ceramics MICROfactorie^TM Technology will feature in the new National Circularity Centre under construction in Bega, NSW.

School students recently saw first hand various SMaRT tiles at the inspiring exhibits at the Circular Futures 3.0 Expo hosted by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Regional Circularity Cooperative which leads the Bega Circular Valley project that will house the National Circularity Centre.

Pictured below: SMaRT's Dr Heriyanto hands Cooperative CEO Andrew Taylor sample tiles made from textile and glass waste at the UNSW SMaRT Centre; students check out the sustainability features at the NCC exhibit at the Expo.

At the Circular Futures 3.0 Expo, students spent exploring what a more circular future looks like, what the Bega Circular Valley program is all about, and what circularity might mean for the jobs and careers that lie ahead for the young people in the region.

The centre-piece of the program is a $19 million National Circularity Centre being built in Bega with backing from the NSW and Australian governments and Bega Group. 

The project, designed by Cox Architecture with Arup, is described as a first-of-its-kind facility to showcase circular economy solutions while drawing visitors for education, research and tourism. 

With the goal of making Bega the state’s leading circular economy by 2030, the centre has been pitched as both a regional icon and a model that can be replicated elsewhere.

Alongside its role as a visitor destination, the centre will provide space for start-ups and industry collaboration, building on local businesses already turning waste into new products.

At the Expo, students, architects, engineers and builders could see and handle the tiles, asked how they were made, and considered where materials created from waste could be used next. 

SMaRT has collaborated with many of the profject's proponents over many years.

Image below: SMaRT tiles on display and as a point of discussion at the Expo. Image bottom: design concept of the new centre.