The Irish Waste Management Conference 2026

Thursday 12 th March, Aviva Stadium Conference Centre, Dublin

The Circular Economy – Not just an Environmental Ambition. It’s an Economic and Social Opportunity!

Conference Agenda

9:00 Morning Session Chaired by Enda Kiernan, Chairperson, CIWM Republic of Ireland

9:05 MINISTERIAL OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Alan Dillon, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications

9:20 Martina Hennessy, Assistant Secretary for Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE).

Department of Environment, Climate Action and Communications Presentation 

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

9:40  Lithium-ion batteries | The good, the bad and the downright dangerous!

  • What is thermal runaway and why does it happen in these batteries?
  • Why do we use them and where can we find them?
  • What are some of the other issues and what is being done?
  • How are they treated at end of life?
  • What do we see happening moving forward?

Christopher Porter – Sustainability Consultant and Circular Economy Lead, SLR Consulting Ltd. 

10:00 EPA Presentation

Warren Phelan, Programme Manager, Circular Economy Programme, EPA (invited)

10:20 Legal updates on all that has happened in the waste area, both Irish and European, over the last year

Alison Fanagan, Co-head of A&L Goodbody Solicitors Environment & Planning Group

10:40 Q&A 1  Progressing Circular Economy Policies in Ireland

10:55 Morning Coffee Break, Exhibition Viewing and Networking

11:25   Panda’s investments and progress in recent years and how we are continuing to invest to meet recycling targets

  • Progress on the Camera Detection System
  • Brown bin roll-out
  • Capital investment

John Brosnan, Director Residential Collections, Panda Recycling

Barriers to the circular economy and solutions on how to overcome them

  • Linear by design, why our economy is linear and not circular
  • The economics of the linear economy
  • the top 4 barriers to circularity and how to overcome them

David Tobin, Circular Economy and ESG / Sustainability Director, Beauparc Utilities

11:45 Greyhound Presentation

Neill Ryan, CEO, Greyhound Recycling

12:05 The Circular Packaging Waste Challenge

Zoe Kavanagh, CEO, Repak

12:25 Re-turn: DRS 2 years in!

  • Update on Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme

Ciaran Foley, CEO, Re-turn

12:45  Local Government Sector Meeting Waste Management & Circular Economy Challenges

Kevin Swift, Regional Co-Ordinator, Connacht Ulster Regional Waste Office

1:05 Q&A 2 Waste Industry’s role in implementing the Circular Economy

1:20 Lunch, Exhibition Viewing and Networking (Sponsored by A&L Goodbody)

2:15 Afternoon Session Chaired by Des Crinion, Chairperson, IWMA

2:20 INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Are Waste streams a “Lost Opportunity?

  • Current state of play globally on resources,
  • Role of waste and resource managers
  • Innovations in material extraction
  • Presidential report highlighting 6 materials

Dr David Greenfield, President, CIWM UK

2:40 IWMA Updates on Increasing Recycling Rates

  • Results so far
  • Feedback from Contamination Detection System Trials
  • Roll out of video communications with customers
  • Better segregation of WEEE and Lithium Batteries”

Conor Walsh, Secretary, Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA)

3:00   Recycling and Circularity – is it achievable?

  • Circularity what does it really mean
  • Regulation – the gaps
  • Failure to support recyclers
  • Public perception knowledge and interest in recycling
  • Cost of failure to us all

Brian Finnegan, CTO Brian Shabra Group

3:20 CIF Presentation C&D Waste  (Invited)

3:40 INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The AI enabled MRF – a glimpse into the future of waste processing

  • AI sorts: new sorts, improved sorts & where NIR will still be needed
  • Redesign of MRFs from the ground up – how AI sorts bring in new layout opportunities
  • Case studies in DMR, C&D and WEEE

Victor Dewult, CEO, Recycle Eye 

4:00  Q&A 3 The Way Forward for Ireland

4:15 Conference Ends

Share This