CITISYSTEM contributes to new EU Waste Framework Directive

Under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, The Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) organized a workshop on the future of the EU Waste Framework Directive. On 14th of June 2024, delegates from over 25 Member States gathered in Mechelen to debate on a broader and future-oriented EU Waste Framework Directive. The program consisted of inspiring keynote speeches, panel discussions and six breakout sessions, including one session on biowaste. The output of the workshop will be a list of recommendations to strengthen the EU Waste Framework Directive. These will be communicated to the next European Commission.

In recent years, the city of Mechelen has also accelerated its efforts in waste reduction, with the motto: “to recycle waste is a must, but to avoid it is still better.” In the hierarchy or ladder of waste management, we focus on the higher R-strategies – prevention and reduction of waste should always be the primary target. The other R-strategies are “reuse and refurbishment” (keeping resources as long as possible in the economy). The strategy is translated into concrete actions on the territory of Mechelen by active partnership in EU projects such as the Interreg Europe project CITISYSTEM.