About Us
Expertise. Experience. Reliability.
Since 1996, Impact Environmental Consultancy Pty Ltd has been the strategic partner of choice for councils right across Australia in managing their waste. We specialise in local government, bringing deep sector experience to better understand the challenges they face, the market they operate within, and strategic possibilities they can leverage to enhance business and environmental outcomes.
We’ve built a dedicated long-term team of consultants offering diverse experience across multiple areas. This enables us to tailor our services and advice to every council and client we work with, better capturing their local characteristics and strategic and project objectives. We embed our team deeply in each project, bringing a personal approach to problem solving that is highly valued by our many repeat clients.
While Impact has developed strong connections with private waste management companies through managing numerous local council waste service tenders, we have deliberately chosen to refrain from consulting on their behalf. This ensures we retain complete independence, providing our government clients with a high level of process security.
At Impact, we believe knowledge-sharing is vital to creating a better industry and outcomes for all. This is the impetus behind our industry-leading Coffs Waste Conference, uniting the sector each year to explore contemporary industry challenges and share cutting-edge innovation and expertise.
Local Government Preferred Contractor
We are a Local Government Procurement (LGP) approved contractor, eligible for selection without the need for a tender process for projects valued up to $500,000.
BuyNSW Panel Accredited
Impact is verified for procurement/sourcing and strategy development and planning under the NSW Government’s SCM0005 Prequalification Scheme: Performance and Management Services.
Comprehensively Insured
We hold certificates of currency for Professional Indemnity ($10,000,000 any one loss, $50,000,000 aggregate) and Public Liability ($20,000,000), and all employees are covered by Workers Compensation insurance.
Meet our team
Thomas Freeman
Managing Director /Principal Consultant
B. Engineering (Environmental), M.A. (Education)
Thomas joined Impact in 2013 following a career in local government and became Managing Director in 2022. A true waste generalist, he has undertaken a wide variety of waste management consultancy projects, primarily in regional and rural Australia. His experience ranges from project-managing large NSW EPA grant projects to preparing options analysis for councils and going door-to-door for community engagement and consultation.
Thomas interacts with waste stakeholders at all levels, often acting as a fulcrum between the technical and regulatory environment set by the state, the boots-on-the-ground service delivery, and the wider community. He brings an environmental engineering approach to the provision of waste management services and draws upon his Master of Education to develop innovative training and education initiatives for the waste industry.
Katherine Driscoll
Principal Consultant
B. Economics, Dip. Law
Katherine is a principal consultant at Impact and has been with the team since 2007. She has vast expertise in developing tender documents for waste and resource recovery collections and processing services for metropolitan, rural and regional councils across Australia. She also manages the tender process, evaluating tender submissions, drafting agreements following tender acceptance, and developing contract management plans.
Katherine also provides diverse consulting services including assessment of service options, analysis of service performance, and drafting of strategies, informed by an up-to-date market view of the waste management context gained through her in-depth knowledge of the tender process. She is experienced in planning significant projects and delivering detailed reports, complex assessments, and strategic reviews within agreed timelines and milestones.
Shannon Larkin
Senior Consultant
B. Applied Science (Environmental Management)
Shannon has worked in the sustainability field for over 15 years. She joined Impact eight years ago, bringing with her extensive experience in corporate sustainability within local government, including seven years leading initiatives with Marrickville Council.
Skilled in building effective relationships, Shannon has worked with numerous councils and waste groups across NSW on a wide range of projects.
Her recent focus has been on the development and management of community waste projects, with a particular focus on food and garden organics and problem waste streams including textiles. She also project-managed a significant and complex bushfire clean-up grant project on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Connie Button
Conference and Event Director
B. Commerce
Connie has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, event management, and managerial roles.
She has worked with Impact since 2011, where her core focus is on the planning and execution of the large-scale annual Coffs Waste Conference and the inaugural Waste and Recycling in Action Expo.
Contact Impact Environmental
Phone: +61 (2) 6583 8118
Email: impact@impactenviro.com.au
Address: PO Box 5057, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
