Below the Surface
Episodes
#37 The 2025 Reflection
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 2025 Year in Review (That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen)What started as a neat 15-minute intro quietly turned into a full end-of-year wrap-up. Class...
#36 The Client - TMA
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What it's really like to be regulated?Regulators, take note - this one’s for you.We are shining the light on the third corner of the Regulator ...
#35 The PFAS Heath Advice
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The NSW Health PFAS Advice includes quite some statements:“The health effects of PFAS appear to be small.” “… there was definite evidence of ...
#34 The Stormwater Stirrer
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar (without James this time) gives it a go to get to the bottom of the very basics of what we need to think of around stormwater on a site. There ...
#33 The Waste Class Blues
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
James K (James Karagiannis) has personally completed a stack of waste classifications. And in addition, he has reviewed somewhere between 1,000 and 1,...
#32 The EPA CEO
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tony Chappel, the CEO of the NSW EPA, is our guest today, so we are definitely back with a bang after the summer holidays. Gunnar and James are (surp...
#31 The Half Price EV
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Electric Vehicles are basically half price in Australia right now, thanks to some little-known government incentives. Gunnar and James decided it was ...
#30 The Duplicate
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar claims almost all duplicates we take serve close to no purpose. If you want to know why, have a listen and be entertained and informed at the s...
#29 The New AS5370 Standard
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Attention Asbestos in Soils Specialists, there is a new kid in town. The Australian Standard 4964-2004 Method for the qualitative identification of as...
#28 The OCSE Odyssey
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) has issued recommendations concerning asbestos in waste and soil. Sarah Mansfield, Special Counsel (...
#27 The Chronicles of an Auditor
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rod Harwood - do we need to say anything else? There are few who have had more influence on our industry and who have contributed more than Rod. Gunn...
#26 The Quickie
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar and James take a dive into all sorts of events that have happened in the past few weeks.1 - The EIANZ announces the punishment of a member. 2 ...
#25 The Duty to Report
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Duty To Report may seem like a peculiar law in our industry, yet it's just another one of the many quirky regulations that shape our environm...
#24 The Recruiter
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel James is someone worth knowing when you are working in our industry. Is he a contaminated sites or resource recovery leader like many of our ot...
#23 The Basics: Acid Sulfate Soils
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Acid Sulfate Soils are a tricky subject. The second episode of our "The Basics" series is all about the ASS (oh this acronym is just endless...
#22 The Basics: Planning
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you always wanted to know about planning, but were afraid to ask. If you don't get that movie reference, don't worry, it just mea...
#21 The Forever Plates
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can eco-friendly plates and food containers made from sugarcane mulch sneak in some hidden PFAS? And can that PFAS end up in your compost, and eventua...
#20 The Loophole
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grey Areas and Loopholes – Where to Draw the Line? This episode dives into the murky waters of our industry's "grey areas", or, if we...
#19 The Inventor
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a fictitious world where electricity reigns supreme, Gunnar has "invented" a revolutionary engine that uses ... wait for it ... petrol! T...
#18 The Remedial Action Assessment
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A re-think of the classic Preliminary Site Assessment => Detailed Site Assessment => Remedial Action Plan scenario. Guest Andrew Kohlrusch, EPA ...
#17 The Blueprint
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's landscapes are in serious need of an injection of TLC (Tender Loving Care, not some dyslexic chlorinated hydrocarbon). TLC and a bit ...
#16 The Sparrow in the Lead Mine
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Measure lead levels in blood of house sparrows and accurately predict lead blood levels in children in that town. No way? Absolutely YES WAY! That is ...
#15 The STEMinist
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can young (female) professionals tackle the flood of knowledge they must acquire in a fast-paced consulting environment while at the same time hav...
#14 The Honest Truth
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The EPA names and shames a consultancy for allegedly falsifying reports. Meanwhile clients are beginning to use legal privilege as a strategy to avoid...
#13 The Train Wreck
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are thrilled to host Andrew Doig from the Australian Sustainable Business Group, who brings a wealth of knowledge on waste services and legislative...
#12 The RRO Rewrite?
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are few people who know more about the Resource Recovery Framework than this episode’s guest, Jason Scarborough. Jason had worked with the NSW...
#11 The Sampling Evolution
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s guest is environmental consulting superstar, Ross McFarland. He shares his thoughts on whether samples we take are actually representati...
#10 The Waste Windfall
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get prosecuted by the EPA and found guilty, get fined several hundred thousand Dollars and make $1.5 Million profit out of that whole scenario. If th...
#9 The Amazing Pierina
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bond Villains, Broke Parents and Asbestos in Soils Assessments: A Wild Ride with Pierina OtnessGunnar and James are back with another high-flying gues...
#8 The Power Grab
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The changed PoEO Act - way more than just increased penalties.Gunnar and James found themselves in the company of not one, but two lawyers. While that...
#7 The Hydrogen Mythbuster Part II
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part II of the interview with Canadian Chemical Processes Expert Paul Martin. In case you have missed it, in Part I Paul talked us through the, rather...
#6 The Hydrogen Mythbuster Part I
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gunnar and James are talking to Paul Martin, a Canadian Chemical Process Development Expert and tireless advocate for a fossil fuel free future. This ...
#5 The Vapour Flux
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest on this episode is Dr Adrian Heggie. Over the past decade Adrian has developed an amazingly simple method for the delineation of sub-surface...
#4 The Trailblazer
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the question of dangers lurking in unsuspecting areas like our backyards and public parks. Join Gunnar and James as the...
#3 The Policy Predicament
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
James twisted Gunnar's arm and convinced him to record a podcast about issues around policies in the environmental industry. Why does the EPA qui...
#2 The Mulchgate
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sydney is still in the grip of an asbestos panic. In this episode we sit down with Philip Hibbs, one of the ultimate OH/S and asbestos experts in Aust...
#1 The Mulch Mishap
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonded asbestos fragments have been found in mulch in a brand-new park in Sydney's suburb Rozelle. The ensuing panic in the public, associated fi...