Recycling symposium hosted by CDE to rethink C&D waste management

CDE leadership calls for change in the industry 

“Natural resources are rapidly depleting. This is widely known and accepted,” explains CDE’s head of business development for Europe, Eunan Kelly.

“A conscious effort is absolutely needed to manage these resources wisely. CDE is leading the charge in this field, particularly in Europe where the legislative landscape is swiftly evolving, but rising to an industry-wide challenge requires a collective effort to close the gap.”

“Our solutions are already an essential part of the waste recycling ecosystem throughout Europe, which is driving the industry forward, but there’s still work to be done, knowledge to be shared, and benefits to be had for both the public and private sectors globally. The symposium will provide a collaborative space to co-author a sustainable way forward for waste management and accelerate the pace of change in Europe and further afield.”

Kelly says pursuing a more circular economy is not necessarily about replacing every grain of raw material.

“Recycled and recovered materials won’t ever offset all of the demand, but, where we can, we should be supplementing raw materials with recycled products that can achieve the same end results. For years, overburden, scalpings, and crushed rock fines – by-products of the quarrying process often miscategorized as waste – have been stockpiled, meanwhile, construction, demolition, and excavation wastes have been landfilled. There are millions of tonnes of it readily available.”

The time to process that material, he says, is now. 

“The market needs solutions that can drive down operational costs while creating new and sustainable revenue streams. Right now, many countries across Europe rely on imports of critical raw materials. The extraction and processing of these materials can be costly, both in economic and environmental terms. Factor into this broader climate commitments and we have a real confluence of challenges.” 

“Circle 2025 will bring together the best minds to help unravel the complexities of these competing priorities to rewrite the narrative around waste and shape the future of mineral waste recycling.”