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30th Conference on Comprehensive Waste Management – Waste Management Industry Summit

In early September 2026, the 30th edition of the Comprehensive Waste Management Conference—the Waste Management Industry Summit—took place, which, as is tradition, focused on issues that are already affecting the operations of municipalities, facilities, municipal utilities, recyclers, and manufacturers.

During the two-day event, experts, representatives of government agencies, local governments, treatment facilities, and companies operating in the waste management sector jointly analyzed trends and sought solutions that could be implemented in practice.

The conference program included, among other things, several panel discussions such as:

• Law, Money, Responsibility: Where Is the Waste Management System Headed?
  Among other things, the discussion focused on whether the UC100 project streamlines the system or merely shifts some of the problems to future years. New recycling targets for 2025–2029: a realistic adjustment or a postponement of problems; Do municipalities have the tools to meet these targets? How will the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities affect the industry?
• The presidential panel
  focused on the most significant challenges facing Polish cities and municipalities in the area of municipal services. Local government officials shared their experiences and discussed development strategies, investments, and solutions that support the effective management of municipal services
• EPR and the deposit-refund system—two pillars of change or two sources of conflict?
  Among other things, the discussion focused on: What are the initial effects of the deposit system? Does the deposit system improve recycling rates or undermine municipal performance? Who should benefit from the most valuable waste fractions: deposit system operators, manufacturers, municipalities, or treatment facilities? How should the actual net cost of packaging waste management be calculated? Should municipal facilities be allowed to participate in the deposit-refund system? How can we avoid overlapping responsibilities between the Packaging Recycling Obligation (ROP), the deposit-refund system, and the municipal system? Will residents see the impact of the ROP in their bills, or will the system continue to be financed primarily at the local level? How should the relationships between producers, municipalities, recyclers, and treatment facilities be structured?
• The most difficult waste fractions, the biggest challenges—what is currently hindering waste collection and processing?
  Among other things, the following were discussed: Bio-waste—why does it still end up in the mixed waste stream? Textiles—are municipal waste collection centers sufficient, given that separate collection does not yet guarantee recycling? E-waste, batteries, and rechargeable batteries in the municipal waste stream—how can they be captured? What technologies actually improve the quality of separate collection? Do we need separate funding models for difficult waste fractions?
• Municipal Facilities 2030 – How to Build a Resilient, Safe, and Cost-Effective Waste Treatment Facility?
  Municipal facilities are no longer just places for waste management. They are becoming part of critical infrastructure: they are responsible for the continuity of public services, recycling rates, fire safety, energy production, RDF preparation, bio-waste management, and the cost stability of the system.

In addition to the panel discussions, many interesting presentations were given on topics such as PPWR, EPR, investments, automation, and effective recycling processes.

The following representatives from the Association attended the conference: K. Godlewska, M. Jastrzębski, and A. Werner.

_{Photos: M. Jastrzębski, SPP}