2nd Regional Stakeholder Meeting of Aufbauwerk

On February 5th 2024, Aufbauwerk (ABW) held its second regional stakeholder meeting for the WEEEWaste project. Numerous representatives from a wide range of institutional backgrounds took part: In addition to representatives from Stadtreinigung Leipzig, the city's Office for Economic Development and the Circular Saxony cluster coordination, experts from BUND, the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg and the Institute for Processing, Recycling and Circular Economy Systems at Clausthal University of Technology were also present. Moreover, ABW was able to involve civil society players from the Landesverband Nachhaltiges Sachsen e.V. and the Forum Nachhaltiges Leipzig. 

The focus of WEEEWaste is on international dialogue in order to learn from each other and transfer best practice to other regions. The meeting at the beginning of February therefore served as an important collection of ideas for the European dialogue which will break ground in Leipzig in April 2024.

Suggestions from participants included approaching the next international meeting in Leipzig (24/25 April 2024) as a cycle and going through various stages of electrical and electronic devices in the spirit of the circular economy. This would allow addressing the responsibility of manufacturers, processing at recycling centres, and upcycling opportunities. 

The participants discussed several campaigns, including Yellow Bin Plus, the repair bonus, and Hardware for Future, as positive examples. They suggested visiting recycling centres, dismantling facilities, Cafe Kaputt, or similar locations as important destinations. Additionally, they emphasized the significance of education and awareness and expressed a desire to learn from older generations about recycling. One idea discussed in the group was a repair bus that could serve as a collection point and information centre for people in rural areas. Many other ideas were discussed in the group setting. 

We learned a lot from the experts present at this meeting. This will help us promote international dialogue at the next event in Leipzig and work towards better management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in accordance with WEEEWaste.