Programme
All timings remain subject to change without notice
9:00am – Workshop 1 -Landfill Gas Management 201: Beyond the Basics
Effective landfill gas management is critical to safe, compliant and efficient landfill operations. Understanding landfill gas generation, collection, monitoring and system performance is essential for operators and practitioners responsible for managing landfill gas risks and controls.
Landfill Gas Management 201: Beyond the Basics, has been developed to build on the content covered in WMRR’s introductory Landfill Gas Management 101 course, by providing deeper practical and technical insights into landfill gas generation and collection, system operations, monitoring, and common problems and issues. Chaired by Dr Stuart Dever (WMRR / UNSW / Blacktown Waste Services), the workshop brings together some of Australia’s most experienced landfill gas practitioners, alongside international expert Dr Bob Gregory, to share their knowledge through presentations, practical insights and interactive Q&A sessions.
9:00am – Workshop 2 -Landfill Redevelopment
The redevelopment of closed landfill sites presents both significant challenges and opportunities for councils, waste operators, landowners and the broader infrastructure and property sectors. As landfill sites transition from long-term liabilities to potential community, recreational, renewable energy or other productive uses, understanding the technical, regulatory and commercial considerations is essential.
This workshop has been developed to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with unlocking the long-term value of landfill sites. Through a combination of technical presentations and real-world case studies the workshop will examine key considerations including landfill gas, leachate, settlement, environmental monitoring, remediation, land use planning, and development risks. As landfill closure, land scarcity, circular economy objectives, and energy transition initiatives continue to shape the Australian market, the redevelopment of landfill sites is becoming an increasingly important area of interest across multiple sectors. This workshop will provide practical insights for waste and resource recovery professionals, councils, developers, infrastructure agencies, engineers, planners and environmental consultants involved in the planning and delivery of landfill redevelopment projects.
530pm – Welcome Function
Antlers Rooftop Bar
Dress; Business / Smart Casual
9:00am – Welcome, housekeeping & Conference Opening
Nigel Ruxton – Conference Chair
Andrew Powell MP – Minister for the Environment and Tourism and Minister for Science and Innovation
9:40am – Keynote #1
Robert Gregory – Principal Landfill Gas Engineer, CQA International Ltd
Landfilling. The Never Ending Story of Change Management
10:30 – Morning Tea
11:00 – Session 1 & 2
Planning & Management
Molly Hurn & John Waters – Core Environmental Projects
Too Many Landfills, Too Little Budget: Prioritising Risk Across Council Portfolios
Alison Horlyck – GHD
More Than Staging Plans: The Hidden Value of Detailed Landfill Planning
Briony Muller – Senversa
From Airspace to Asset: Balancing Landfill Capacity with Future Land Value
Sam Butler – WSP
Commercial Considerations for Landfill Construction
Q&A
Transfer Stations
Mairead Lenihan – City of Gold Coast & Scott McDonald, ATC Williams
Pimpama PWRC – The Journey from Tradition to State of the Art
Peter Windley – Talis Consultants
Designed for Efficiency, Locked into Constraints: A Whole-of-Life Challenge to Direct-to-Bin Transfer Station Design
Sean McMahon – ATC Williams
Improved Resource Recovery Through Practical Design: Lessons from Two Ipswich Projects
Sarah Collins & Grant Gabriel – ARRC Gold Coast
The Future of Transfer Stations: Rethinking Transfer Stations for an Energy Recovery Future
Q&A
12:30pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Session 3 & 4
Design & Construction #1
Harrison Bush
Steep Learning Curve: Practical lessons from steep wall liner construction
Daniel Tan – Tonkin + Taylor
Seismic-Resilient Landfill ‘Cradle’ Design: Integrating Geotechnical Stability and Environmental Protection
Prathama Igor – ATC Williams
The Long Goodbye: Long Term Exposed Steep Slope Liners, a Risk Based Approach
Alice Noviani – Senversa
Engineering Pathways to Unlocking Potential for Additional Landfill Airspace
Q&A
Operations
Reza Rafiee – Cleanaway
Improving Landfill Operational Efficiency Through Soil Reduction, Safe Working-Face Design, and Compactor Parameters
Paul Lightbody, Mockinya Consulting
Leachate Generation – What do measured leachate flows tell us?
Lya Assef & Simon Clay – City of Ballarat
Integrated Leachate and Gas Management in a Regional Landfill
Hamidreza Kamalan – Cleanaway
Enhancing Landfill Gas Capture Through Temporary HDPE Surface Lining During the Interim Capping Phase
Q&A
3:00pm – Afternoon Tea
3:30pm – Session 5 & 6
Design & Construction #2
Sahar Rahimnezhad, Cleanaway
Steep Learning Curve: Practical lessons from steep wall liner construction
Dr Gary Schmertmann & Adam Muller – WSP
Dispersive Clay in Landfill Liners
Jaidyn Cumming – Blacktown Waste Services
A Rigorous Approach to Optimising Geomembrane Protection Layers: Lessons from the Marsden Park Landfill
Connor Thomson – WSP, Co-authored by: Simon Sheldrick & Udeshini Pathirage
Designing Steep Landform Slopes incorporating a GCL
Q&A
Case Studdies
Aaron Ferrell – Bass Coast Shire Council & Aya Salih – Bajwa EnviroConsult (BEC)
Challenging Convention: Delivering Australia’s First Regulator-Approved All-in-One Landfill Cap at Wonthaggi Landfill
Parth Modi – Cleanaway
Stawell Landfill Cell 6: Delivering Compliance Through Innovative Design and Proactive Risk Management
Amila Basnayaka – WSP
Innovative High-Efficiency Sediment Basin Design for Large Landfills: Delivering Compliance Under Space Constraints
Sindi Honstender Ribeiro da Silva – Cleanaway
Inkerman Landfill: Reducing Geosynthetic Liner Waste Through Integrated Construction Quality Assurance
Q&A
5:00 – Day 1 Close
9:00am – Welcome & Housekeeping
Gayle Sloan – WMRR CEO
9:05am – Keynote #2
Bryan Stayley – EREF
9:35am – Keynote #3
Lachlan James – General Manager Environment, Veolia
Compliance Culture to Secure Environmental Security
10:10am – Regulator Pannel
Facilitated by Gayle Sloan
Around the Grounds
11:00am – Morning Tea
11:30 – Session 7 & 8
Design & Construction #3
Hossein Ghiaisinejad – WSP
Leachate and Landfill Gas Migration Control in a Below-Ground Pit Landfill: Modelling, Design and Construction
Adrian Roberts – GHD
To Fill or Not to Fill: Are quarry and mine sites the answer to the airspace question?
Ignacio Alvarez – WSP
Beneath the Liner: Managing Legacy Mineshaft Risk in New Landfill Cell Design
Q&A
LFG
Anthony Dixon & Matt Welsh – GHD
The Goldilocks Guide to Landfill Gas Extraction: Not Too Much, Not Too Little, Just Right
Chaim Kolominskas – Zephyr Environmental
Review of techniques for Fugitive Methane Identification and Quantification at Landfills
Sam Wildermuth – Cleanaway
Optimising Landfill Gas Recovery Through Waste Moisture Enhancement: A Leachate Recirculation Case Study
Katrina Nelson – LGI Ltd
Canberra Landfill Gas Renewable Energy, Storage and Carbon Abatement Project
Q&A
1:00pm – Lunch
11:30 – Session 9 & 10
Closure
Melissa Salt – ATC Williams
From Bare Soil to Benchmark Performance: Lessons from Seven Years of Phytocap Management at Drysdale Landfill
Simonne Eldridge & Daniel Tan – Tonkin + Taylor
Towards Best Practice Final Cover Systems for Hazardous Waste Landfills: A BATT-Based Assessment
Stuart Dever – Blacktown Waste Services
The Challenges & Learnings Closing the Marsden Park Landfill
Chris Nivison-Smith – GHD
Defining Your Legacy: Practical and cost-effective methods to characterise a legacy landfill site
Q&A
Leachate
Geoffrey Webster – Waste & Management Services
Case Study on the Development of an Integrated Leachate Treatment System
Jessica Keyt & Nick James – Veolia
Leachate Treatment Innovation at Hallam Road: A Collaborative Biochemical Solution
Louise Reeves – Queensland Water Directorate
The Wastewater Treatment Plant as the Waste Manager of Last Resort
Q&A
3:20pm – Conference Wrap up
3:30pm – Afternoon Tea
4:00pm – Conference Close
Robert Gregory is a highly experienced landfill‑gas and environmental consultant with more than 35 years’ experience across landfill gas, biomethane, waste management and environmental due diligence. He holds a PhD in Soil Gas Emanometry and Hydrothermal Mineralisation from the University of Exeter and is a long‑standing Chartered Chemist, Chartered Waste Manager, Chartered Environmentalist, and Fellow of the Geological Society of London.
Robert has worked for several major international consultancies and later founded Gregory Environmental Consulting Ltd, providing specialist expertise in landfill gas forecasting, biomethane project development, asset evaluation, and technical due diligence for clients across the UK, Europe, the USA, Asia and the Middle East.
He is recognised globally for his work on landfill gas utilisation, renewable‑energy project assessment, and complex landfill‑aftercare challenges, supporting developers, operators, financiers and regulators. His portfolio includes technical due diligence for large landfill‑gas portfolios, biomethane project development, and expert advisory roles across multiple international markets.
Molly Hurn
Chartered & Senior Environmental Scientist, Core Environmental Projects
Molly Hurn is a Senior Environmental Scientist, who has over ten years of industry experience across the United Kingdom and Australia, with key strengths in detailed risk assessment, technical reporting, environmental due diligence, project management and contaminated land assessment. She holds a Master of Science in Applications in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental Science, both from the University of Manchester. Molly is a Chartered Scientist (CSci) of the Geological Society of London, a Member of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ), and a member of the Australian Land and Groundwater Association (ALGA) Gas and Vapour Special Interest Group
John Waters
Environmental Scientist, Core Environmental Projects
John is an environmental scientist with experience supporting landfill, contaminated land and vapour intrusion projects at Core Environmental Projects. He brings a research‑driven approach grounded in his academic work on microRNA, gene expression and human health, applying strong analytical skills to environmental assessment, risk evaluation and project delivery.
Alison Horlyck
Technical Director, GHD
Alison is a Technical Director and Team Leader in GHD’s NSW & ACT Waste Management team. She is a civil and landfill design engineer who has been with GHD since 2009, specialising in landfill design, capacity assessments, staging plans and containment systems. Alison is also a certified Construction Quality Assurance Inspector for geosynthetic and clay barrier systems.
More Than Staging Plans: The hidden value of detailed landfill planning
Briony Muller
Environmental Consultant, Senversa
Briony is Senversa’s National Environment Management & Approvals Lead and a Certified Environmental Practitioner (Site Contamination) with more than 20 years’ experience in environmental management, contaminated land, approvals and compliance. She has supported major airport, port and infrastructure projects, helping clients balance environmental risk, regulatory requirements and sustainable outcomes.
From Airspace to Asset: Balancing Landfill Capacity with Future Land Value
Sam Butler
Senior Associate Civil Engineer, WSP
Sam is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) with 17 years’ experience in the waste management sector in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. Sam has experience in undertaking design assessments for waste containment facilities related to stormwater, geotechnical and geosynthetics. Sam has experience in the preparation of construction documentation, construction related design support and construction certification.
Commercial Considerations for Landfill Construction
Mairead Lenihan
Manager Resource Recovery Planning, City of Gold Coast
Mairead has over 20 years’ experience in leadership and management across the waste management sector in both Australia and internationally. With management and technical qualifications, including an MSc, Mairead has delivered in both in-house management positions and consulting roles in both the private and public sectors. Specialist areas include: Project management and implementation of recycling, resource recovery projects, Waste strategy development, management of Transfer Stations, Landfill sites, Waste & Recycling Centres, Material Recovery Facility (MRF), Collections contracts.
Scott McDonald
Senior Principal, ATC Williams
Scott is a Senior Principal at ATC Williams with over 30 years’ experience in civil, structural and waste management engineering. Holding both engineering and business qualifications, he specialises in strategic planning, concept development, design management and contract administration across major waste, water and civil infrastructure projects. A Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ), Scott brings deep technical breadth across engineering materials and long-standing industry leadership.
Peter Windley
Senior Waste Consultant, Talis Consultants
Peter is a Senior Waste Consultant with Talis Consultants, bringing more than 20 years’ experience in local government waste operations, resource recovery and infrastructure delivery. At Shoalhaven Council, he led over 100 staff across 10 facilities and delivered complex major capital projects including materials recovery facilities, glass and tyre recycling plants, landfill, leachate treatment and landfill gas energy projects.
Designed for Efficiency, Locked into Constraints: A Whole-of-Life Challenge to Direct-to-Bin Transfer Station Design
Sean McMahon
Senior Engineer, ATC Williams
Sean is a Senior Engineer at ATC Williams with ten years’ experience in the waste management field. Based in the Sunshine Coast office, he works across innovative waste infrastructure projects and recently presented A Visual Journey: Ipswich City Council’s Future Concept for an Innovative Facility at the Waste 2024 Conference. Sean’s practical construction experience complements his design expertise, and he really enjoys delivering effective, high-quality solutions for more than a decade to his waste management clients.
Improved Resource Recovery Through Practical Design: Lessons from Two Ipswich Projects
Sarah Collins
Head of Assets, ARRC Gold Coast
Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience in waste management, industrial services and resource recovery. She has led operational improvement across landfills, transfer stations and processing facilities, strengthening resource recovery outcomes. Her background spans project management, HSEQ, strategic growth, business development and operations, with a focus on advancing resource recovery technology and processes in South East Queensland through ARRC.
Grant Gabriel
CEO, ARRC Gold Coast
Grant is the Chief Executive Officer of ARRC Gold Coast and a Fellow of Engineers Australia with more than 20 years’ experience delivering major infrastructure and circular economy programs across government and industry. He led the establishment of ARRC and now oversees the delivery of its $1.6 billion integrated resource recovery precinct—one of Australia’s most significant circular economy initiatives. Grant is recognised for aligning diverse stakeholders, driving commercial outcomes and leading high‑performing teams to deliver long‑term, sustainable infrastructure that creates enduring community value.
Harrison Bush
Civil and Environmental Engineer, GHD
Harrison is a Civil and Environmental Engineer based in Greater Sydney, currently working at GHD. He holds a Bachelor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Honours) and a Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice from the University of Technology Sydney. Harrison’s experience spans civil, environmental and structural engineering through roles at GHD and ACOR Consultants, supported by several years of hands‑on construction experience.
Steep Learning Curve: Practical lessons from steep wall liner construction
Daniel Tan
Principal Civil and Environmental Enginer, Tonkin + Taylor
Daniel is a chartered Civil and Environmental Engineer with 25 years’ professional experience in geotechnical and containment engineering. He has provided specialist advice on containment engineering systems across Asia–Pacific in the waste, energy and mining sectors. Daniel currently leads the design of several landfills, geosynthetic lined dams and mine closure across Australia and New Zealand for Tonkin + Taylor.
Seismic-Resilient Landfill ‘Cradle’ Design: Integrating Geotechnical Stability and Environmental Protection
Towards Best Practice Final Cover Systems for Hazardous Waste Landfills: A BATT-Based Assessment
Prathama Igor
Associate Engineer, ATC Williams
Prathama is a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) with 15+ years of design, CQA and technical advisory experience for municipal and mine waste management, oil and gas, and civil infrastructure clients across Queensland and Australia.
The Long Goodbye: Long Term Exposed Steep Slope Liners, a Risk Based Approach
Alice Noviani
Senior Associate Civil Engineer, Senversa
Alice is an Environmental Consultant at Senversa, based in Brisbane. With a background in environmental science from QUT and professional experience across the Greater Brisbane region, she brings strong analytical capability and cross‑cultural communication skills, working in both English and Indonesian.
Engineering Pathways to Unlocking Potential for Additional Landfill Airspace
Reza Rafiee
Operations Engineer, Cleanaway
Reza is the National Landfill Operations Engineering Lead at Cleanaway, where he has worked for the past four years. He has built a strong career in landfill operations engineering, supporting operational excellence across multiple sites. Reza is recognised for driving performance improvements, regulatory compliance, and sustainable waste management outcomes while maintaining a strong focus on safety and operational efficiency.
Improving Landfill Operational Efficiency Through Soil Reduction, Safe Working-Face Design, and Compactor Parameters
Paul Lightbody
Principal, Mockinya Consulting
Paul is a Consulting Engineer with over 30 years professional experience and has specialised in landfill engineering, closure and emissions management. Currently a technical advisor to operators, auditors and regulators Paul formed Mockinya Consulting in 2015 after leading the Waste and Environment group of a national consulting practice for 20 years and is currently Chair of the WMRR Landfill Division.
Leachate Generation – What do measured leachate flows tell us?
Lya Assef
Landfills and Transfer Station Manager, City of Ballarat
Lya has 20 years’ experience in environmental management and waste operations in Brazil and Australia, including 5 years at the City of Ballarat. Her role at Ballarat includes operations and compliance for the Ballarat Regional Landfill, Transfer Station and closed landfills. She has Bachelor qualifications in Environmental Engineering and Occupation Safety and a Master of Business Administration.
Integrated Leachate and Gas Management in a Regional Landfill
Hamidreza Kamalan
Engineer, Cleanaway
Hamidreza is a Project Manager and specialist in waste management, with over 20 years of experience delivering complex projects across landfill, Energy-from-Waste, and resource recovery sectors. He has led major infrastructure programs, advised governments and investors, and managed projects from feasibility and financing through to construction, commissioning, and operations. His expertise combines strategic leadership, technical innovation, and commercial acumen.
Enhancing Landfill Gas Capture Through Temporary HDPE Surface Lining During the Interim Capping Phase
Sahar Rahimnezhad
Project Manager, Cleanaway
Sahar is a Project Manager at Cleanaway with a strong engineering background and extensive experience delivering complex design and construction projects. She has successfully led multidisciplinary teams to achieve safe, high-quality project outcomes while meeting budget and schedule targets. Her expertise spans project delivery, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and operational excellence, with a proven commitment to safety and continuous improvement.
Optimising Horizontal Landfill Gas Collection Through Design and Construction Innovation
Adam Muller
Principal Civil and Environmental Engineer, WSP
Adam is a Principal Civil and Environmental Engineer at WSP, based in Sydney, with more than 16 years’ experience delivering civil and environmental engineering projects across Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wollongong and has worked with WSP since 2009, specialising in practical, design‑led engineering solutions for complex infrastructure and environmental projects.
Dr Gary Schmertmann
Technical Executive, WSP
Dr Schmertmann is a geotechnical and geo-environmental engineer with advanced degrees and more than 30 years of experience in Australia and the USA. His project experience comprises landfills, site remediation, earthworks, groundwater barriers, contaminated soil management, and transportation infrastructure. He is a CPEng and has authored over 20 technical papers.
Jaidyn Cumming
Environmental Engineer, Blacktown Waste Services
Jaidyn is an Environmental Engineer at Blacktown Waste Services, where she commenced her career as an intern in 2023. Since joining the company, she has worked with Principal Engineer Stuart Dever to develop and implement closure strategies for two landfill sites in Western Sydney. Jaidyn holds a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of NSW (2025)
A Rigorous Approach to Optimising Geomembrane Protection Layers: Lessons from the Marsden Park Landfill
Connor Thomson
Senior Civil Engineer, WSP
Connor is a Senior Civil Engineer at WSP, delivering civil infrastructure and transport projects across Victoria. He joined WSP in 2020 after roles with Greater Shepparton City Council and Guthrie McGoldrick Consulting Engineers. Connor holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil/Structural) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University, combining strong technical capability with commercial insight.
Designing Steep Landform Slopes incorporating a GCL
Aaron Ferrell
Coordinator Waste Services, Bass Coast Shire Council
Aaron is Waste Management Services Coordinator at Bass Coast Shire Council, with more than 30 years’ experience in waste and resource recovery across four Australian states. A recognised waste management specialist and project leader, he has led major transfer station, resource recovery, landfill rehabilitation, and waste cell projects, including Australia’s first regulator-approved all-in-one geocomposite landfill cap.
Aya Salih
Managing Director and Principal Environmental Consultant,Bajwa EnviroConsult (BEC)
Aya is the Managing Director of Bajwa EnviroConsult (BEC) and a Principal Environmental Consultant with extensive experience in waste management consulting across Australia. As a Chartered/Registered Professional Engineer and an Environmental Auditor (VIC), Aya has been involved in a wide range of projects for services involving civil design and construction, operation, remediation/rehabilitation, environmental monitoring and compliance, and environmental auditing.
Parth Modi
Technical Manager, Cleanaway
Parth is a skilled landfill project manager currently at Cleanaway. He has a career spanning engineering and project delivery roles across Australia, New Zealand, the Gulf, and India since 2018. He has successfully turned around complex environmental infrastructure projects, delivering significant cost savings across multiple sites through innovative solutions and strong stakeholder management. His expertise lies in optimizing challenging sites for maximum value and efficiency.
Stawell Landfill Cell 6: Delivering Compliance Through Innovative Design and Proactive Risk Management
Amila Basnayaka
Technical Executive, WSP
Amila is a Technical Executive and National Surface Water Team Lead within WSP Australia’s Geo-Environmental Engineering team, with over 18 years of experience in hydrology, hydraulics, flood risk, stormwater management, and civil engineering. He has led complex landfill, transfer station, mining, energy, and infrastructure projects across Australia, providing technical leadership, regulatory advice, and specialist reviews for major clients.
Innovative High-Efficiency Sediment Basin Design for Large Landfills: Delivering Compliance Under Space Constraints
Sindi Honstender Ribeiro da Silva
Project Engineering Manager, Cleanaway
Sindi is a Project Manager at Cleanaway Waste Management with more than 17 years of experience leading major civil and environmental infrastructure projects. A qualified Civil Engineer with a postgraduate qualification in Project Management and globally certified as a Lead Auditor in Integrated Management Systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001), she is recognised for her expertise in quality assurance, project governance and the delivery of innovative, sustainable landfill engineering solutions.
Inkerman Landfill: Reducing Geosynthetic Liner Waste Through Integrated Construction Quality Assurance
Bryan currently serves as President and CEO of the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF), one of the largest sources of research funding and graduate scholarships related to solid waste management. He joined EREF in 2008, where he started as Vice President of Environmental Programs, and has over 20 years’ experience in the environmental engineering field.
Bryan is recognized nationally as a technical expert in sustainable solid waste management issues and obtained a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University, where his research focused on understanding microbiological mechanisms for waste decomposition and methane generation from solid waste. He also holds a Master’s degree in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Tennessee, and a B.S. in Biological & Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State University
Lachlan currently serves as General Manager Environment at Veolia Australia & New Zealand, where he leads environmental management, compliance and performance across Veolia’s waste and resource recovery operations. He has extensive experience in environmental management within the waste industry, with a focus on regulatory compliance, environmental risk and the management of complex waste facilities.
Lachlan has held a range of environmental leadership roles throughout his career, working across landfill and resource recovery operations and supporting the development of effective environmental management and compliance practices. His experience provides a practical understanding of the challenges facing waste operators as regulatory requirements and environmental expectations continue to evolve.
Compliance Culture to Secure Environmental Security
Dr Hossein Ghiasinejad
National Executive, WSP
Dr Ghiasinejad is WSP Australia’s National Executive – Technical Excellence and a Chartered Professional Engineer in civil, geotechnical and environmental engineering. He has delivered landfill designs across capping, liners, leachate and gas systems, stormwater management, operations and CQA, including deep pit legacy landfills such as Eastern Creek and Woodlawn. His work emphasises innovation through advanced modelling and constructability-led design.
Leachate and Landfill Gas Migration Control in a Below-Ground Pit Landfill: Modelling, Design and Construction
Dr Adrian Roberts
Technical Director and Associate, GHD
Dr Roberts is a Technical Director within GHD’s Sydney Waste Management Group, specialising in landfill planning, design, construction and remediation. With more than 20 years’ experience in the waste sector, he has delivered projects across Australia and internationally, spanning municipal, industrial, mining and hazardous waste facilities. Adrian regularly provides technical leadership on landfill development, expansion, closure and operational improvement projects.
To Fill or Not to Fill: Are quarry and mine sites the answer to the airspace question?
Ignacio Alvarez
Senior Associate Geotechnical Engineer, WSP
Ignacio is a Senior Associate Engineer with WSP Australia, based in Melbourne. He has more than 20 years’ experience in geotechnical engineering, focused on earthworks, ground improvement, settlement assessment, slope stability and subgrade design. He has contributed to major landfill cell developments, containment infrastructure and complex ground-risk management projects across Europe, America, Africa, Middle East and Australia.
Beneath the Liner: Managing Legacy Mineshaft Risk in New Landfill Cell Design
Anthony Dixon
Technical Director, GHD
Anthony is a highly experienced landfill, composting, resource recovery, and waste regulation specialist with more than 30 years of experience securing approvals and advising on complex waste projects across NSW, Qld and NZ. Anthony is part of GHD’s award-winning waste management group and is well regarded by regulators and major waste organisations, for delivering practical, technically robust, and environmentally sound outcomes.
Matt Welsh
Senior Environmental Scientist,, GHD
Matt is a Senior Environmental Scientist at GHD, specialising in waste‑management operations, landfill environmental performance and regulatory compliance. With more than a decade of experience across landfill monitoring, leachate and gas‑management systems, environmental reporting and operational optimisation, he supports councils and private operators in delivering safe, compliant and efficient waste‑infrastructure outcomes. Matt is known for his practical field expertise, strong analytical capability and commitment to improving environmental performance across the waste sector.
Chaim Kolominskas
Head of Technology, Zephyr Environmental
Chaim is an air quality and greenhouse specialist with over 25 years’ experience. He delivered some of Australia’s first emissions inventories and key guidance for industry on the quantification of fugitive emissions. For the last 15 years, Chaim has focussed on the development of real-time and predictive air quality management solutions, including the real-time quantification of area-based methane emissions.
Review of techniques for Fugitive Methane Identification and Quantification at Landfills
Sam Wildermuth
Landfill Gas and Leachate Technician, Cleanaway
Sam is a Landfill Gas and Leachate Technician with extensive hands-on experience in the installation, operation, and maintenance of landfill gas and leachate management systems. He plays a key role in field-based activities, including infrastructure construction, monitoring, troubleshooting, and system optimisation. His practical expertise and strong focus on safety contribute to efficient site operations and environmental compliance.
Optimising Landfill Gas Recovery Through Waste Moisture Enhancement: A Leachate Recirculation Case Study
Katrina Nelson
Business Development Manager, LGI Ltd
Katrina Nelson is the Business Development Manager at LGI Ltd, with more than 25 years’ experience across heavy industry and the energy sector, and the past decade focused on landfill gas, biogas and renewable‑energy project development. Katrina is a passionate and pragmatic environmentalist, excited by implementing commercial and innovative solutions to improve our community and climate – at work and at home.
Canberra Landfill Gas Renewable Energy, Storage and Carbon Abatement Project
Dr Salt is a Senior Principal Scientist and Certified Professional Soil Scientist with 34 years’ experience in the mining, waste and construction sectors. She specialises in cover systems and phytocaps for waste storage facility rehabilitation. Melissa combines strong soil science expertise, modelling capability, practical experience and effective communication skills to deliver sustainable, technically robust outcomes for her clients.
From Bare Soil to Benchmark Performance: Lessons from Seven Years of Phytocap Management at Drysdale Landfill
Daniel Tan
Principal Civil and Environmental Enginer, Tonkin + Taylor
Daniel is a chartered Civil and Environmental Engineer with 25 years’ professional experience in geotechnical and containment engineering. He has provided specialist advice on containment engineering systems across Asia–Pacific in the waste, energy and mining sectors. Daniel currently leads the design of several landfills, geosynthetic lined dams and mine closure across Australia and New Zealand for Tonkin + Taylor.
Simonne Eldridge
Senior Executive, Tonkin + Taylor
Simonne is a recognised waste industry leader with more than 35 years’ experience spanning consulting, contracting and client organisations. As Executive Advisor and Technical Director – Environmental Engineering at Tonkin + Taylor, she provides strategic advice on complex infrastructure projects and specialises in landfill and resource recovery. Simonne is passionate about collaboration, leadership development and practical environmental outcomes.
Dr. Stuart Dever
Principle Engineer, Blacktown Waste Services
Dr Dever is Principal Engineer at Blacktown Waste Services Pty and has more than 30 years’ experience in the waste management and landfill sector. He has worked as both a landfill engineer (Blacktown Waste Services, Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre) and a consultant (GHD, CMPS&F, Maunsell), and is a specialist lecturer in landfill and waste management at UNSW (since 2009) and a landfill trainer with WMRR (since 2024). In 2025 he received the Australian Landfill & Transfer Station Industry Leadership Award.
Stuart has delivered projects across waste policy and planning; landfill design, construction and monitoring; remediation of legacy sites; and waste‑facility approvals and licensing. He has worked on more than 50 landfill sites and is recognised for his expertise in landfill gas and leachate management. His project experience spans all levels of government and industry across Australia, as well as work in Asia and the South Pacific.
The Challenges & Learnings Closing the Marsden Park Landfill
Chris Nivison-Smith
Waste Management Service Line Manager, GHD
Chris has worked for over 16 years in waste management specialising in landfill engineering. He has led numerous landfill rehabilitation projects, including assessment, design, construction and post-rehabilitation support. In his current role as Service Line Leader, Chris provides technical leadership across GHD’s waste management practice in the Asia Pacific, focusing on enhancing technical innovation, capability and collaboration.
Defining Your Legacy: Practical and cost-effective methods to characterise a legacy landfill site
Geoffrey Webster
Director, Waste & Management Services
Geoffrey is a Chartered Professional Engineer and Director of Waste & Management Services, with around 25 years’ experience across the engineering and waste‑management sectors. He has held senior national roles including General Manager of Cleanaway’s Post‑Collections division, Project Manager for Path Line Australia, and National President of the Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR). Geoffrey also serves as Deputy Chair of KESAB Environmental Solutions and is an Independent Non‑Executive Director at Stelar Metals Ltd. He holds an Honours Engineering degree from the University of Adelaide and an MBA from La Trobe University.
Case Study on the Development of an Integrated Leachate Treatment System
Nick James
Landfills Manager, Veolia
Nick is the Victorian Landfills Manager at Veolia, overseeing the safe and compliant operation of multiple landfill sites. With a background in quarry and extractive‑industry operations, he specialises in landfill construction, gas and leachate management, and long‑term site planning.
Jessica Keyt
Environment Manager, Veolia
Jessica is an accomplished environmental management professional serving as the Environment Manager (Vic/Tas) at Veolia Australia and New Zealand. Backed by over six years of compliance and enforcement expertise as a environmental regulator, she leads regional environmental strategies, holds a Bachelor’s in Biological Science , and is completing her Master of Sustainability.
Dr Louise Reeves
Lead Scientist, Queensland Water Directorate
Dr Reeves is Lead Scientist at the Queensland Water Directorate, since joining the Queensland Water Directorate in 2019, Louise has led research and advocacy on emerging contaminants across the urban water sector. She manages a statewide consortium of water utilities and research partners, recognised with the 2024 Australian Water Association Queensland Organisational Excellence Award. A plenary speaker at the 2024 Australian Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry, she also convenes major cross-sector forums, including the 2025 Future of Biosolids Reuse roundtable, bringing together industry, government and researchers to address regulatory, environmental and market challenges.
The Wastewater Treatment Plant as the Waste Manager of Last Resort