Conference Topics

This session welcomes contributions on modern technologies and innovative solutions spanning the entire waste management hierarchy, from prevention to final treatment. We encourage abstracts that address waste prevention and minimisation, downstream innovations, and advanced solutions for waste handling and recycling. Cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence in waste management, as well as new directions in environmental and energy research, are also of strong interest. In addition, studies and practices related to final treatment and disposal, including landfill solidification and stabilisation technologies, are invited.

Recycling and recovery are at the heart of building a sustainable circular economy. This session focuses on the latest advances in biological, mechanical, and chemical recycling processes, as well as innovations in material and heat recovery that improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. We also welcome contributions on cutting-edge recycling technologies and industrial solutions that drive new business opportunities, along with strategies for plastic pollution reduction and ocean protection. This topic also offers a platform for industry and researchers to showcase practical solutions, exchange knowledge, and explore pathways to scale up recycling and recovery technologies for a cleaner and more resource-efficient future.

Moving toward a circular economy is essential to reduce resource use, cut emissions, and build resilient societies. This session highlights the importance of circular design and life cycle management, investment models for circular growth, and closed-loop systems for plastics, batteries, and electronics. We also explore the role of the circular economy in shaping sustainable cities. By sharing innovative solutions and experiences, participants will help accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

Some materials and products contain substances that make recycling or reuse difficult. This session focuses on how to identify, manage, and replace these substances to support a circular economy. The studies addressing on harmful chemicals, legacy pollutants, and other substances that stop materials from being safely recycled are welcomed. Research on safer alternatives, chemical design for circularity, and effective regulations or monitoring systems is also invited. The goal is to find practical and safe ways to keep materials circulating in the economy.

Disaster waste presents complex technical challenges that demand accurate assessment and innovative solutions. This session focuses on quantitative methods and modelling approaches for estimating disaster waste amounts, including region-specific parameters and construction characteristics. We also welcome studies on technologies for the collection, treatment, recycling, and utilisation of disaster waste, along with practical frameworks for integrating these technologies into emergency response systems. Technical insights into community-based practices that enhance the efficiency and scalability of disaster waste management are also encouraged.

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is one of the largest waste streams globally and presents both a challenge and an opportunity for circular material use. This session focuses on innovative strategies, technologies, and management systems that enable resource recovery and sustainable reuse of construction materials. The studies contributions on selective demolition practices, digital tools for waste tracking, recycling of concrete, asphalt, and metals, and case studies on circular construction models are welcomed. Case studies on circular building practices and policies that encourage sustainable construction are also invited.

Managing hazardous waste safely is important for protecting human health and the environment. This session invites studies addressing new technologies, integrated management systems for hazardous waste treatment, recycling, and disposal and policies for hazardous waste management. Topics include thermal, chemical, and biological treatment processes, safe storage and transport, and waste management of e-waste, batteries and other industrial wastes, as well as innovations in monitoring, regulation, and policy frameworks, are welcomed.

Waste management plays a critical role in tackling climate change by reducing emissions and enhancing resilience. This session invites contributions on decarbonisation strategies and GHG mitigation measures and technologies across the waste sector, as well as approaches for adaptation and resilience building in the face of climate impacts. We also welcome research and case studies applying carbon footprint, life cycle assessment (LCA), material flow analysis (MFA), and carbon credit mechanisms to waste systems. In addition, innovative work on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and its integration into waste management will be highlighted. By linking waste management with climate action, this session provides a platform for advancing practical and scientific solutions that support both mitigation and adaptation goals.

Transforming waste management materials, recycling and advancing the circular economy requires not only technological innovation but also supportive policies and shifts in behaviour. This session explores the role of education, outreach, and communication in raising awareness and driving community action. We welcome contributions on the development and implementation of laws, regulations, codes, and standards that shape sustainable practices, as well as insights into the effectiveness of international treaties and current communication frameworks. By highlighting the intersection of policy, governance, and behaviour, this session provides a platform to discuss how collective actions supported by strong institutions and informed communities can accelerate the transition towards sustainability.