A regional network built on one idea. Waste less. Realise more.
Circular Connect is the Circular Economy Business Network for the Riverina and Murray — a RAMJO initiative funded by the NSW EPA that connects manufacturers, suppliers, and agricultural businesses across 12 council areas to reduce waste costs, build supply chains, and grow together.
To connect businesses across the Riverina and Murray with the resources and relationships they need to turn waste into value.
A circular economy is a system where materials are continually circulated through the economy at their highest value, as opposed to a system where materials are taken from the environment, made into products, then disposed of.
There are Three Principles of the Circular Economy
1. Design Out Waste and Pollution
Create products and systems that minimise waste and environmental harm from the start through smart design, safe materials, and lifecycle thinking.
2. Keep Products and Materials in Use
Extend the life of products by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and recycling them to their highest value.
3. Regenerate Natural Systems
Restore and improve the environment by returning biological materials to nature and supporting healthy ecosystems rather than depleting them.
The economy you already know — running better.
Most businesses operate in a straight line — buy, make, sell, dispose. The waste at the end is a cost most have never questioned.
The circular economy breaks that line. Your by-products, offcuts, and excess materials can become inputs for other businesses. The waste stream becomes a resource stream.
It’s not a new idea — farmers have always composted, manufacturers have always found uses for offcuts. Circular economy is the formalisation of that instinct, backed by a network that makes the connections visible and a program that funds the changes.
Circular economy
- Materials flow in loops — not lines
- By-products become inputs for other businesses
- Waste streams become revenue streams
- Supply chains are shorter and more resilient
- Less cost, more value at every stage
Linear economy
- Take raw materials from the environment
- Make a product or process material
- Sell the primary product
- Dispose of by-products and waste
- Cost at every stage — including disposal
Reduce
Start by understanding what your business actually sends to landfill — the volume, the composition, and the true cost. A free Bin Trim waste assessment maps this in detail and identifies where the opportunities are. Most businesses are surprised by what they find.
Reuse
Once you know what you have, find businesses that can use it. Your grain husk, timber offcuts, packaging waste, or organic by-products may be exactly what another business in the region is sourcing externally — at a cost. The network makes those connections visible.
Connect
Beyond individual transactions, the network creates ongoing relationships — shared knowledge, joint problem-solving, and a community of businesses working toward the same goals. Events, workshops, and the directory keep those connections active and growing.
How materials flow in a circular system
In a linear system, materials move in one direction. In a circular system, they loop back — used, then reused, then recovered.
Your business
Produces a primary product and generates by-products
Bin Trim assessment
Maps your waste streams and identifies what has commercial value
Network matching
Circular Connect connects you with businesses that can use what you have
Value recovered
Your by-product becomes their input — disposal cost becomes revenue
Why circular economy makes sense for regional business
The economics work — and they work especially well in a region like the Riverina Murray.
Common questions about circular economy
The questions we hear most often from manufacturers and suppliers who are new to the concept.
How Circular Connect came to be — and where it’s going.
In 2023, through the NSW Government’s Circular Economy Innovation Challenge, RAMJO partnered with Peclet to implement Material Mapping data across its 12 member councils. The initiative was driven by a key question:
How might we generate, model and access precinct-level material usage, reuse, recycling and disposal data to support circular economy initiatives?
The project began as a proof of concept, creating an interactive portal that used data modelling to predict waste generation and identify businesses that could potentially reuse or recover those materials. This demonstrated the potential for better connections between waste producers and resource users, helping to unlock local circular economy opportunities.
Building on these foundations, Circular Connect has been developed to enhance user experience, strengthen business engagement, and support real-world outcomes. The platform enables businesses to connect, discover opportunities, and realise the value of circular materials within their operations and supply chains.
Circular Connect aims to connect, educate and showcase businesses across the Riverina and Murray regions that are implementing circular economy practices and achieving positive resource recovery outcomes. By building a network of like-minded organisations, the platform helps identify material flows, uncover waste reduction opportunities, and create new pathways for resource recovery and reuse.
Funded through the NSW EPA Bin Trim Circular Networks Program, the initiative evolved from a series of Bin Trim assessments conducted with manufacturers across the Riverina and Murray region. These assessments help businesses understand how improving resource recovery and reducing waste can deliver both environmental and financial benefits.
For many businesses, diverting materials from landfill can significantly reduce skip bin and disposal costs. More importantly, the process encourages a broader examination of material use throughout operations, helping organisations identify opportunities to reduce waste at the source, improve efficiency, and create greater value from the resources they already use.
If you produce it, process it, or need it — you belong in the network.
The Circular Connect is for any business in the Riverina Murray that produces materials, processes goods, or sources inputs. You don’t need to already know what circular economy is — you just need to have something the region could use, or need something the region already has.
Manufacturers
You produce goods and generate by-products — offcuts, residues, packaging waste, or process materials. The network connects you with local buyers for what you’d otherwise dispose of, and local suppliers for what you’re currently sourcing from outside the region.
Agricultural businesses
Farms, growers, and processors generate significant organic material — crop residue, processing by-products, organic waste — that other businesses in the region could use as inputs. The network makes those connections commercial.
Supply chain operators
Logistics, freight, and distribution businesses move materials around the region daily. Listing in the directory signals your capacity and creates opportunities for backhaul arrangements and local sourcing that reduce empty-leg costs.
Delivered on behalf of the Riverina Murray.
Circular Connect is delivered across the full RAMJO footprint — all 12 council areas that make up the Riverina Murray Joint Organisation.
