Conference: Towards waste-free lifestyles

European conference on local authority actions
Turku - Finland, 28-29 October 2004

SUMMARY

growing generation of waste caracterises lifestyles in industrialised countries. Each European produces already 500 kg of household waste during one year. This is the visible side of his/her consumption. The hidden side corresponds to 3,500 kg of industrial waste and 50,000 kg of natural resources. For instance, manufacturing a 5-gram gold ring requires the extraction and processing of about 3,000 kg of resources.

Thus, it is crucial not only to focus on waste but also to consider the products and resources behind it. This requires the involvement of all actors of the production and the consumption chain.

The attitudes and demands of consumers influence the development of more environmentally-friendly products and services. Consumers need support and ideas to change their behaviour. With adequate information, they can bring concrete changes to the consumption of resources and the production of waste.

Local and regional authorities are in a good position to raise awareness of their constituencies. Indeed, they are the public actors who are the closest to them. They represent a reliable and credible source of information. They also have influence on many aspects of waste management. As such, cities and regions are the central drivers of resource management as well as of the development of a local sustainable culture.

The conference has gathered  waste management actors from Europe and Russia with the aim to review the actions of local authorities to tackle the above-mentioned issues, and to facilitate the exchange of experience between new and older EU Members and Russian Cities 

A CD-Rom with communication tools has been handed out at the end of the conference.

Visits to various waste management facilities and project sites were organised on Friday 29th of October 2004, to discover and to learn how sustainable waste management practices are organized in Finland.

The conference is part of the project ELISEE (Encouraging Local Initiatives For Sustainable Lifestyles in Enlarged Europe), which receives financial support from the European Community.

Programme

Download the programme in English/French

Proceedings

To download the proceedings, click on the title of the session (members only)

THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER

Opening and welcome address
Mr Olli A. Manni, Vice-Mayor of Turku

OPENING SESSION : SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
Chair: Mr Mikko Jokinen, City of Turku (Finland)

• Finnish policy towards sustainable consumption  
  Mr Jukka Uosukainen, Finnish Ministry of Environment (Finland)
• UNEP’s action for sustainable consumption
  Ms Rie Tsutsumi, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• The management of waste, products and resources: new challenges for local authorities 
  Mr Francis Radermaker, ACRR
• Summary of discussion

SESSION 1:  WASTE - CLOSING THE LOOP
Chair: Mr Kit Strange, Resource Recovery Forum 

• Limits to recycling: going beyond 50 % diversion (Is Zero waste of any use?)
  Mr Kit Strange, Resource Recovery Forum (RRF)
• Selective collection: the experience of Helsingborg 
  Ms Lotta Retzner, Northern- Skåne’s Waste Company (Sweden)
• Repair, reuse and recycle before energy reclamation and landfill
  Mr Markku Lehtokari, Turku Waste Management Ltd (Finland)
• Summary of discussion

SESSION 2: PRODUCTS – ECO-CONSUMPTION AND RESPONSIBLE CHOISES
Chair: Ms Pilar Chiva, Catalan Waste Agency (Spain)

• Rewarding sustainable choices
  Mr Rob van Hilten, POINTS Foundation, NU-Spaarpas (The Netherlands)*
• Nine years of Recal recycling  education programme in Poland
  Jacek Wodzislawski, RECAL –Foundation (Poland)
• Towards a paper-free office
  Ms Seija Liinoja, City of Turku (Finland)
• Summary of discussion

WORKSHOPS

1. HOW TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN SELECTIVE COLLECTION?
Chair: Ms Audrone Alijosiute, ECAT (Lithuania)

• Adaptation to selective collection in former East-Germany
  Mr Michael Giersberg, Stülow (Germany)
• Public participation in selective collection in Southern countries
   Ms Najoua Mestiri, Sousse (Tunisia)
• Summary of discussion

2. BIOWASTE – HOW TO CLOSE THE NATURE CIRCLE?
Chair: Ms Anna Granberg, UBC (Finland)

• Using more than 60 % of biowaste
  Mr Jouni Aho, Mustankorkea Ltd., Jyväskylä (Finland)
• Demonstration garden to raise awareness
  Ms Benedita Chaves, LIPOR (Portugal)*

3. TOOLS FOR RAISING AWARENESS ON IMPACTS OF LIFESTYLES
Chair: Mr Roberto Cavallo, AICA (Italy)

• Ecological Footprint: indicator of resource consumption and its use in waste management
  Ms Maija Hakanen, The association for local and regional authorities (Finland)
• The ecological rucksack and MIPS: tools for promoting sustainable consumption
  Mr Michael Lettenmeier, D-mat Ltd. (Finland)
• Summary of discussion

4. HOW TO INVOLVE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS?
Chair: Ms Sylvie Fusellier, Nantes Métropole (France)

• Involving the retail sector
  Mr Jean-Marie Savino, Espace-Environnement (Belgium)
• Green Business Fair
  Ms Vita Brakovska, Jurmala (Latvia)
• Summary of discussion 

5. ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS TO STEEP ECO-CONSUMPTION
Chair: Mr Andy Hudson, Milton-Keynes (UK)

• Involving public authorities
  Mr Danny Wille, Public waste company for the Flanders region (OVAM) (Belgium)
• Greening public procurements, the experience of Brussels-Capital
  Mr Pierre Depas and Mr Francis Radermaker, Brussels institute for management of the environment (IBGE-BIM) (Belgium)

FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER

SITE VISITS

• Incineration plant 
• Composting plant
• Hazardous waste reception facility
• Eco-market
• Eco-workshop 
• Waste paper receiving facility and sorting plant 
   

SESSION 3 : RESOURCES – FROM REAL NEEDS TO ECO-DESIGN (part 1, part 2)
Chair: Mr Francis Radermaker, ACRR

• FIKSU (SMART): a campaign for producing less waste
  Ms Riitta-Liisa Hahtala, Helsinki Metropolitan area council, YTV (Finland)
• AdWise –project
  Ms Marjut Joensuu, Finnish Solid Waste Association JLY (Finland)
• Sustainable home services
  Mr Markku Anttonen, Helsinki School of Economics (Finland)
• Eco-design:The role of local authorities
  Mr Martin Charter, The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College (UK)
• Summary of discussion

CLOSING SESSION: HOW TO FURTHER PROMOTE LIFESTYLES WITHOUT WASTE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL?
Chair: Ms Evelyne Huytebroek, Minister for the environment in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium)

• Presentation of the ELISEE CD-Rom
  Ms Sophie Marguliew, ACRR
• Roundtable: What can be done at a local and regional level to raise awareness on the links between waste, products and resources?
  Ms Audrone Alijosiute, ECAT (Lithuania)
  Ms Sylvie Fusellier, Nantes Métropole (France)
  Ms Anna Granberg, UBC (Finland)
  Mr Jean-Pierre Hannequart, ACRR / IBGE-BIM (Belgium)
  Mr Andy Hudson, Milton-Keynes
• Summary of discussion

Closing address

• Ms Evelyne Huytebroeck, Minister for the environment in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium) 

POSTERS

• Dr. Anne Morrissey, School of Biotechnology,Dublin City University
• Determination of nutrients and heavy metals in bottom ash from pulp and paper mill complex  

Organisers

• Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling (ACRR) 
• City of Turku - Environmental Protection Office 
• Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) 
• Resource Recovery Forum (RRF) 
• Turku Regional Waste Company 
• Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) 

with the financial support of the Europe

* The power point presentations of Mr Rob van Hilten, POINTS Foundation, NU-Spaarpas (The Netherlands), and Mrs Ms Benedita Chaves, LIPOR (Portugal), are too heavy to be put on this website, please fill in the form to receive a paper version (free for members).