Norwaste is strengthening its team with a highly experienced professional from the waste management sector. Elisabeth A. Helle, who will join us on January 1st, 2026, has more than 30 years of experience as a civil engineer in water, wastewater, and waste management, and has worked throughout her career with environmental challenges – both as a consultant and as a leader in municipal and intermunicipal organizations.
With more than 15 years at Avfall Sør, Elisabeth has been part of a rapidly developing waste management sector, contributing to major system changes. This includes the introduction of new collection schemes for plastic packaging as well as glass and metal packaging, and the further development of Avfall Sør’s long-standing PAYT (Pay-As-You-Throw) system, in which Avfall Sør will introduce a unit fee of 100 NOK for emptying a standard 120/140-liter residual waste bin starting in 2025.
Elisabeth has been central to the development and operation of several generations of collection contracts at Avfall Sør, and she recently served as project manager for the new contract that will take effect in September 2026.
In addition, she has been actively involved in several national industry organizations and has solid leadership experience – including serving as a managing director.
Why did you choose to work at Norwaste?
Norwaste is one of the leading advisory environments within waste and recycling in Norway, with a strong team of consultants delivering high-quality solutions to a wide range of clients. My expertise aligns well with the environment Norwaste has built, and I look forward to continuing to work on various challenges together with the Norwaste team.
With my international education from Newcastle, England, and some overseas experience from Uganda/Africa, contributing to Norwaste’s international projects may also be relevant.
What do you hope to achieve in Norwaste?
I primarily want to contribute my expertise to municipalities and intermunicipal companies that carry out the important societal mission of providing high-quality waste management services, while ensuring that as many resources as possible are recovered. We have come a long way in the transition toward a circular economy, but much work remains, and many challenges lie ahead. With increasing geopolitical uncertainty, it is also important that Norway and Europe secure raw materials for future growth, and in this context, the waste and recycling sector will become increasingly important.
That Norway and Norwaste can also contribute increased expertise for good recycling solutions internationally will be a plus for me to be part of.
We are very excited to have Elisabeth join the team. Municipal waste companies operate complex services across many areas, and it is fantastic that Elisabeth is now strengthening Norwaste in this important field with her extensive expertise and experience.
