HE IRISH WASTE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2023

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & the Circular Economy

Thursday, March 9th, 
The Aviva Conference Centre, Dublin 4

 

Conference Agenda

8:45    Morning Session Chaired by Enda Kieran, Chairperson, CIWM

8:50   OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Developing Ireland’s Waste Policy in a Circular Economy
Philip Nugent, Assistant Secretary, leading the Natural Resources and Waste Policy function at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

9:10  INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The end-of-waste and the circular economy

• How to try and improve the situation in the waste industry
• How to stop continuing to send perfectly reusable material to landfill

How to get to the end of Waste?

• End of Waste Criteria?
• A more positive outlook for the circular economy?
• New innovative technologies
• Examples in Case Law

Dr Anna Willetts, Partner, Gunnercooke and President of the CIWM

9:35  National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy.

• Collaboration and Ownership
• Overview of the collaborative approach to the preparation of the National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy

John McLaughlin, Chief Executive, Donegal County Council and Chair of the CCMA Climate Action, Transport, Circular Economy Committee.

9:55   The National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy “Challenges, Responses and Delivery

• The Ambition, Targets, Policies and Actions set out in the Plan
• Key Deliverables which will enable successful outcomes

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

10:15  Q&A 1: The new Regional Waste Management Plans

• Philip Nugent, Assistant Secretary, leading the Natural Resources and Waste Policy function at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
• Seán Scott, Local Authority Waste Programme Coordinator
• Kevin Swift, Regional Co-Ordinator, Connacht Ulster Regional Waste Office
• Dr Anna Willetts, Partner, Gunnercooke and President of the CIWM

 

10:30   Morning Coffee Break, Exhibition Viewing and Networking

11:00   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, will provide her usual insightful update on key Irish and EU waste legislation and case law, with a particular focus on the Circular Economy. In particular she will talk about:

• Case studies and real world examples to illustrate how those developments are affecting those in the waste sector
• What is on the legal horizon to assist with forward planning?

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

 

11:20   Role of Data in Supporting A Circular Economy

• Reporting Responsibilities of the Circular Economy and Waste Statistics Team
• Role of quality data in informing policy and interventions
• Time series data and what can we learn from them?
• First look at waste characterisation data
• Indicators for the Circular Economy

Warren Phelan, Programme Manager, EPA’s Circular Economy Programme

11:40   Are we serious about the circular economy, or are we just interested in an unsustainable status quo?

• Review of the latest environmental and engineering context in which we must look at resources and waste management
• Direction of travel for European waste policy
• How we need to look at waste differently
• Barriers to the circular economy
• Direction of travel in Ireland with regard to waste
• How to break the current cycle

David Tobin, Circular Economy and Sustainability Director, Beauparc Utilities

12:00   The Role of Standards in the Circular Economy

• Role of National Standards Authority of Ireland  (NSAI)
• Introduction to Standards
• Standards work in the area of CE
• How to get involved in the area of standards work

Dr Pamela Dagg, Senior Scientific Officer/Standards Technical NSAI

 

12:20  Commercial biowaste recycling in Ireland

• What’s driving biowaste recycling in Ireland?
• In-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion, friends or foes?
• Delivering a system which works for all

Tony Breton, Chair of Cré

 

12:40  Q&A 2 – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & the Circular Economy

• Alison Fanagan, Co-head of A&L Goodbody Solicitors Environment & Planning Group
• David Tobin, Circular Economy and Sustainability Director, Beauparc Utilities
• Dr Pamela Dagg, Senior Scientific Officer/Standards Technical NSAI
• Tony Breton, Chair of Cré
• Warren Phelan – EPA

 

12:55  Lunch, Exhibition Viewing and Networking (Sponsored by A&L Goodbody)

2:10   Afternoon Session Chaired by Des Crinion, Chairperson, IWMA

2:15   INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The Circular Economy and Climate Change

• It is frequently assumed that the circular economy is invariably good for combating climate change
• Whilst this is a valid ‘rule of thumb’, the reality is inevitably more nuanced.
• Moreover, its impacts on wider environmental indicators may be positive or negative.
• This presentation will review how the circular economy can influence climate change and other criteria, by looking through the lens of life cycle assessment.

Simon Gandy, Technical Director, Waste & Circularity Lead Europe, SLR Consulting

 

2:40    River & Marine Waste Management

• Marine infrastructure and marine waste logistics
• Using this knowledge to develop innovative solutions to tackle the accumulation of aquatic debris
• Adaptation of a vessel to essentially sweep up floating debris from the River Liffey surface which along with other ancillary infrastructure is currently operating to combat the scourge of waste in the marine environment

Jimmy Murray, CEO, Irish Nautical Trust

 

3:00    The Packaging Opportunity

• Significant successes in packaging recycling over a number of years
• Ambitious targets we need to achieve by 2025
• Obligations and opportunities
• All stakeholders have to increase recycling in multiple settings including: Municipal Solid Waste, Household And particularly Commercial

Tom Gaynor, Operations Manager of Recovery and Recycling, Repak

 

3:20    Lithium-ion Fire Safety Solutions for the Waste Management sector

• Where we are now with Lithium-ion Batteries in the waste industry sector, from pouch cells issues with Thermal Runaway and Venting
• Major risks associated in the Waste Industry and early detection
• Lithium fire solutions looking at Extinguishment (AVD) through to The Avenger robotics solution

Kevin Howlette, Managing Director, Emergency Fire & Safety Ltd

3:40  The future role of Waste to Energy in a Circular & Net Zero Carbon economy from a policy perspective

 

4:00  Maximizing Benefits in the Waste Management Industry: Exploring Technology, Rising Disposal Costs, and Effective Advertising Strategies

Technology Investment
How can it lower costs?
Can it influence sustainability?
How do you get a return?

Rising Disposal Costs
Increasing contamination levels
Local Vs Export
The long-term outlook

 Advertising in the waste market

Best forms of advertising – ROAS
How to break down a market – demographics
Price based advertising – race to the bottom

Neill Ryan, CEO, Greyhound Recycling 

 

4:40    Q&A 3: How do we engage the public in meeting our Recycling needs and Circular Economy challenges?

• Simon Gandy, Technical Director, Waste & Circularity Lead Europe, SLR Consulting
• Kevin Howlette, Managing Director, Emergency Fire & Safety Ltd
• Neill Ryan, CEO, Greyhound Recycling Presentation
• Jackie Keaney, Commercial Director, Indaver
• Jimmy Murray, CEO, Irish Nautical Trust

5:00    Conference Ends