The ROOTS initiative is organising the “Circular Policies For Changing the Biowaste System” conference on 27 September (09:30 -17:00) in Brussels. ROOTS is an initiative of five EU-funded Horizon 2020 projects that have joined forces to promote innovative solutions for the valorisation of biowaste and bring down regulatory barriers. At the conference they will present their recommendations and discuss them with European policy makers and stakeholders.

The five projects involved in the ROOTS initiative are CityLoops, Valuewaste, Scalibur, HOOP and WaysTUP! During the conference at least one city from each of these projects will give its perspective on the challenges and opportunities in the field of bio-waste. While all these projects use different processes and technologies, they all rely on a higher level of recycling and propose valorisation solutions relevant for the uptake of a truly circular economy.

As up to 50% of European municipal waste is organic, valorisation of biowaste is a key tenet of a circular economy. However, numerous regulatory bottlenecks hinder the full deployment of revolutionary solutions in the field. In light of this the ROOTS projects have aimed to identify the main barriers, and written a joint position paper providing recommendations on how to overcome them. The recommendations focus on recycling targets, waste and by-products, biopesticides, insects for animal feed, (bio-)waste prevention, citizen behaviour, and investment needs.

The full position paper can be found here.

To register for the conference, click here.