23-24 May 2024, the IMPEL WMCE Project Subgroup "By Products" Meeting in Valencia

"As part of the IMPEL project “Waste Management & Circular Economy (WMCE)”, a  meeting of the subgroup “By Products” took place on Thursday 23 May and Friday 24 May 2024 in Valencia, Espana. The meeting was hosted by Carlos Bernácer and Eva Fornés, (Generalitat Valencia Conselleria de Medio Ambiente, Agua, Infraestructuras y Territorio, Dirección General de Qualitat i Educació Ambiental) and lead by Romano Ruggeri, project leader of WMCE.

The subgroup "By Products“  aims at supporting regulators in assessing circular innovations, within the framework of the relevant EU environmental legislation with specific focus on the assessment of the by-product status according to article 5 of the Waste Framework Directive.  

The survey on by-products carried out in the member states was presented and some countries explained their assessment approach on by-products. The content of the on-going drafting of the Guidance was also discussed.

The participants visited  RECIPUR ECO, S.L. a really interesting recycling and production facility. RECIPUR  ECO,  S.L.  is  a  mattress  manufacturing  facility  that  uses  polyurethane  waste and by-product from  the manufacturing  process  and mattress  waste  to  ultimately  create  a  new  secondary raw material with the same properties and quality as non-recycled foam.  Visitors  had the opportunity to watch the processes, to  discuss circular economy issues and to learn about the mattresses being produced from this material.

Last technical aspect was information and discussion on industrial symbiosis practices in the ceramic cluster presented by the “Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC)”, Castellón de la Plana. e.g. past, present and future, actions to boost and pros and cons of implementing Industrial symbiosis".