ABOUT US
Empower – Innovate – Create
Plastic Collective’s solution is based on 3 fundamental pillars. Empower people with knowledge, Innovate new designs and materials, and Create with practical and reliable tools and machinery, such as the Shruder machine. The Shruder program (machinery & training) provides communities an end-to-end plastic recycling solution to produce valuable recycled plastic output in the form of shredded raw material, filament/ cord and moulded products. The mobility of the Shruder allows the plastic recycling machines to be taken to the waste, eliminating the restrictive cost of transporting plastic waste in remote areas and islands.
Our Team
Louise Hardman
CEO/Founder
BSc (Zool/Anth.), G.C. Env. Ed., GDip. Ed.(Bio./Chem)
Steve Hardman
Chairman
B.Comm,B.Eng., MBA (Bus.Mgmt), MBA
Bus.Admin.)
Mark Wolf
CTO/ Chief Engineer
BSc, M.A.H.A., Dip Proj Mgmt
In 2016 Louise started Plastic Collective to develop and create The Shruder- waste plastics shredding/ extrusion machine and educational training package for remote communities. Louise is passionate about reducing plastic waste and believes education is a key component to global change.
Living in the small coastal village of Woolgoolga, Nth NSW (Aust.) Louise developed a mobile recycling machine and an educational program focused on the chemistry of plastics and how to transform waste into valuable items. She started running workshops in how to transform plastic waste and ‘Know your Plastics’ seminars, as she developed the Plastic Collective business.
After winning the Coffs Coast Innovation Grand Prize (June, 2017), she joined forces with Mark Wolf and her brother, Steve Hardman, to scale the company.
Mark Wolf joined the team in July, 2017 as CTO. He has more than 40 years expertise in the field of environmental monitoring and applied hydrology and hydraulics. Starting his career at the NSW Hydraulics Laboratory and undertaking research into the dynamics of the NSW coastal waters. Mark then commenced Greenspan Technology’s Technical Division which grew into 70 staff, 8 offices, and a team of technical experts that delivered many world -acclaimed systems and solutions.
Steve Hardman is a serial entrepreneur who has built a number of major technology businesses in the automotive, motor racing and software sectors. His most recent venture is a leading supplier of online video delivery and monetisation technologies to the European television broadcasting industry.
In November, Louise was a finalist in the Sustainability Awards – Waste Less Reduce More. In December, she competed in Australia’s largest StartUp pitch competition and came 7th (1st woman and 1st with a hardware solution) out of 100 StartUps.
