THE IRISH WASTE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2022
The Role of the Circular Economy in tackling Climate Change
Thursday, March 10th,
Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin
Conference Agenda
8:45 Morning Session Chaired by Enda Kieran, Chairperson, CIWM Ireland
8:50 OPENING ADDRESS
Developing Irelands 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 National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy and the Role of Local Authority Waste Programme Coordinator
- Collaboration and Ownership
- Overview of the collaborative approach to the preparation of the National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy
Seán Scott, Local Authority Waste Programme Coordinator
Kevin Swift, Regional Co-Ordinator, Connacht Ulster Regional Waste Office
9:30 Legal updates on all that has happened in the waste area, both Irish and European, over the last 2 years
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. In particular she will talk about:
- Important aspects of the General Scheme of the Circular Economy Bill 2021 for the waste sector
- The use of s.160 planning injunctions in cases involving waste facilities and a recent Court of Appeal decision Ferry v Caulderbanks
- Trends in EPA waste prosecutions 2019-2022
- Key takeaways from the EPA Report on Local Authority environmental enforcement 2021 regarding waste
Alison Fanagan, Co-head of A&L Goodbody Solicitors Environment & Planning Group
9:55 Ireland’s Circular Economy: Role of Data, Regulation, Innovation, Demonstration and Implementation
- Exploring the role of good quality, timely, relevant data in providing insights to support and drive the circular economy
- Circular Economy Regulation including Byproduct notifications (Article 27) and End of Waste applications (Article 28) and Waste authorisations
- Circular Economy Innovation, demonstration and Implementation and the focus of the EPA’s new Circular Economy Programme
Sharon Finnegan, Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), EPA
10:15 Minister of State Ossian Smyth, T.D. responsible for Communications and the Circular Economy
10:25 PANEL DISCUSSION 1 – Will Ireland’s Policy & Plans meet our Circular Economy Package
- Philip Nugent, Assistant Secretary, Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
- Alison Fanagan, Joint Head of Environmental & Planning Group, A&L Goodbody
- Seán Scott, Local Authority Waste Programme Coordinator
- Kevin Swift, Regional Co-Ordinator, Connacht Ulster Regional Waste Office
- Sharon Finnegan, Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), EPA
- Elizabeth O’Reilly, Head of Environmental Compliance & Membership at WEEE Ireland and leads on Circular Economy and R&D for the Scheme
10:40 Morning Coffee Break, Exhibition Viewing and Networking
11:10 INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Waste to Energy and the Circular Economy
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facilities have an important role to play in the transition to a more circular economy. In particular, WTE plays an important role in managing residual waste, as well as throughout material lifecycles, including those residues generated through recycling processes, by recovering energy, recycling metals and materials, exporting electricity to the grid and, at combined heat and power plants, providing heat and steam. Looking toward the future, WTE facilities may;
- Incorporate new technologies and advancements that can further reduce the impact of waste management whilst continuing to provide the essential public health provision of sustainably treating unrecyclable waste.
- The most effective path forward will require an integrated approach across the waste management system as well as product and material value chains.
Michael E. Van Brunt, P.E., Vice President, Environmental and Sustainability, Covanta, USA
11:40 Roles and Responsibilities in Meeting the Circular Economy MSW Recycling Targets
- Municipal Waste Treatment in Ireland
- MSW Recycling Targets – Train crash coming?
- Roles and Responsibilities – passing the buck?
- Return to Retail v Digital DRS?
- Licensing and End of Waste – do we benchmarking well against other countries?
- The Way Forward
Conor Walsh, Technical Director with SLR Consulting and also IWMA Secretary and Liam Dunne, Plant Manager, Irish Packaging Recycling
12:10 Circular Economy – Will ambition be matched by Action?
- The alignment of ambition among all stakeholders is a challenge that must not be underestimated, not least the communication that Government, Regulators, Industry (Producers & Waste) and NGO’s must deliver
- The public have to deliver the desired outcomes
- The challenge needs motivation and a clear roadmap
Seamus Clancy, CEO, Repak
12:30 Between a Rock and a Hard Place: – The Circular Economy in Ireland from a Waste Management perspective
Ireland has moved on from a near total reliance on landfill for waste management, but the next part of the journey, moving to a circular economy, will be even more challenging. David will identify the challenges and the solutions needed, if we are to move from a consume-disposal model to a circular, resource recovery, and remanufacturing model. Amongst other things, David will speak about the following;
- Eco-design
- Producer responsibility
- External environmental costs
- Consumer responsibility
- Unsuitability of the current regulatory regime
- Role for fiscal incentives and penalties
David Tobin, Sustainability and Circular Economy Director, Beauparc
12:50 The E-waste Challenge: A Circular Economy Opportunity
- Look at the key challenges for Ireland in meeting ever increasing EU take back targets for WEEE and Waste Batteries, with more material going on the market and products having longer life cycles.
- Examine how the Scheme will support new Circular Economy legislation on EPR that moves activity further up the hierarchy of the resource pyramid
- Investigate how these initiatives can be supported with economic instruments and results documented and incorporated into EU targets and statistical reporting
Leo Donovan, CEO, WEEE Ireland
1:10 PANEL DISCUSSION 2: Industry views on meeting our Circular Economy Targets
- Conor Walsh, Technical Director with SLR Consulting and also IWMA Secretary
- Seamus Clancy, CEO, Repak
- David Tobin, Sustainability and Circular Economy Director, Beauparc
- Leo Donovan, CEO, WEEE Ireland
- Mark Brill – VP Sales & Marketing, TOMRA Collection Solutions UK & Ireland
- Tony McGurk, Chairman & Founder, CryptoCycle UK
1:25 Lunch, Exhibition Viewing and Networking (Sponsored by A&L Goodbody)
2:25 Afternoon Session Chaired by Conor Walsh, Technical Director with SLR Consulting and also IWMA Secretary
2:30 INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
The Transition to Net Zero and the need for new skills and competences in the Resources & Waste Sector
- What will the sector look like in 2025 and 2035, what is our role and how will we work?
- What are the core skills and competences we will need and when will we need them by?
- The role of CIWM in driving the new skills and securing the training for the sector?
- Making our sector more attractive to new recruits……
- What should you be doing to maximise the opportunities for your career in 2025 and beyond?
Lee Marshall, Director of Policy and External Affairs, CIWM UK
2:55 Speaking their language – Making waste relatable to everyone
- Humanity, Empathy, Understanding & Clarity
- Turning Garden Waste into Garden Food
- One Voice
Neill Ryan, CEO, Greyhound Recycling
3:15 Emerging Trends in Waste Crime
- Current data available on waste crime
- Current trends in relation to the nature of waste crime
- Actors and drivers involved in current waste crime
- Measures used to combat waste crime
Caoimhín Nolan, Inspector, Office of Environmental Enforcement, EPA
3:35 Growing the Circular Economy in Practice – a collaborative approach
Dr Sarah Miller – CEO of the Rediscovery Centre, will describe how a collaborative approach is essential in delivering the Circular Economy in practice, and will share the many exciting upcoming opportunities for collaboration in this space including:
- The nationwide programmes of the Rediscovery Centre as the National Centre for a Circular Economy
- Dublin Circular Economy Hotspot 2023 as an opportunity to showcase Dublin and the wider region achievements
- The national growth of paint reuse through the Paint Reuse Network
Dr Sarah Miller, Chief Executive, Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy
3:55 Circular Economy in the Built Environment
The built environment requires vast amounts of resources. The sector has been identified by the European Union as a key value chain for circularity, requiring urgent, comprehensive and coordinated action. Janet will set out how all stakeholders in the built environment in Ireland can contribute to the transition from a linear to a circular economy. She will set out how circular strategies can drive down carbon associated with built assets, keep assets in use at their highest value and promote regenerative design. Topics will include:
- The Transport Infrastructure Ireland Circular Economy Plan
- The Arup & Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Building Design Toolkit
- The EU Sustainability Taxonomy
- A range of exemplar Circular Economy in the Built Environment Projects
Janet Lynch, Circular Economy & Sustainability Consultant, Arup
4:15 PANEL DISCUSSION 3: How do we engage the public in meeting our Circular Economy challenges?
- Caoimhín Nolan, Inspector, Office of Environmental Enforcement, EPA
- Lee Marshall, Director of Policy and External Affairs, CIWM UK
- Janet Lynch, Circular Economy & Sustainability Consultant, Arup
- Dr Sarah Miller, Chief Executive, Rediscovery Centre, The National Centre for the Circular Economy
- Neill Ryan, CEO, Greyhound Recycling
4:30 Conference Ends