More than 50 experts from International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the European Commission, the EU Member States, industry and NGOs participated in a discussion organised by the ISWA EU Group in Brussels. This was the first event organised by ISWA EU Group. The topic of discussion was “Towards a Circular Economy 2.0: Combining ambition with reality.”
The objective of the event, held on December 5, 2019, was to share ISWA’s local experience in the field with EU regulators, which are tasked with translating political ambitions into reality. Participants first heard from ISWA EU Group chair and event moderator Joachim Quoden on the ambitions of the ISWA EU Group as regards best-practise sharing at EU level, followed by a presentation of Hakan Rylander on the association’s ongoing lighthouse projects on marine litter and closing dumpsites.
Martin Brocklehurst, representative of ISWA’s British member CIWM, gave the political picture from ISWA’s more global point of view, whereas speakers from the European Commission and the upcoming Council Presidency of Croatia introduced forthcoming initiatives at EU level. The new Circular Economy Action Plan, expected in March 2020, will take a product policy approach, looking at products throughout their entire life cycles and promoting reduce and reuse of materials.
It is key to effectively implement the existing legislative framework. In the second session, participants heard again from the European Commission and from the European Environment Agency about the state of implementation and current challenges. Presentations were made by the City of Rotterdam, Optibag (presenting the experience of the City of Oslo) and CEWEP, which introduced the local realities and the opportunities and challenges for communities and industries towards a circular economy.
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