Around 550 attendees and more than 65 companies meant record numbers on the 8th and 9th of October

On Tuesday 9th October, the fifth edition of Recuwaste closed. The Congress on waste management and the circular economy was organised by the Maresme Consortium for Municipal Solid Waste Treatment, with the support of the Catalan government through the Catalan Waste Agency and the Barcelona City Council. Attendance numbers point to the success of the event, and are particularly significant considering the fact that this was a renewed edition, more transverse, and full of new and parallel activities.

The Congress broke attendance records, with around 550 accredited professionals from the sectors of waste management and the circular economy. It also broke the record for sponsors and collaborators, with around 65 companies, institutions, foundations and media outlets taking part. 
 
The expansion of Recuwaste was very well received. This year an audiovisual section was added, showing a selection of documentaries from the Barcelona International Festival of Environmental Cinema. The amount of workshops for municipal waste management professionals also increased notably, as did the exhibition of machinery relevant to the sector. The Alfonso Maillo award attracted a large number of participants, and was won by Gonzalo Blanca, an investigator from UNESCO Chair ESCI-UPF, for a study aimed at reducing, reusing and recycling waste produced from the catering service on aeroplanes (#ZeroCabinWaste).
 
In other noteworthy news, the Congress was delighted to welcome the Mayor of Beirut, Jamal Itani, for both days, and he confirmed his willingness to work with the organisers of the event to create an edition of Recuwaste in Lebanon.  
 
The president of the Maresme Consortium for Municipal Solid Waste Treatment and Mayor of Mataró, David Bote, emphasised in his closing speech that Recuwaste had succeeded in its goal to become the benchmark Congress in the sector in the South of Europe, and concluded by saying “during these two days we’ve tried to generate hope and enthusiasm when facing the future, based on energy and activity in the present. Recuwaste has finished, but the challenge has just begun.”