A glance at the low-carbon waste management in Europe – Chinese delegation visit to COP24 in Poland and knowledge exchanges in Germany

To strengthen the in-depth knowledge and experience sharing between the key Chinese and German/European waste sector stakeholders as well as facilitate learning from the best practices on low-carbon integrated waste management in Europe, the IWM NAMA project organized a study tour to Poland and Germany for representatives of the project partner MoHURD and five demonstration municipalities (Xi’an, Bengbu, Taian, Lanzhou, Suzhou).

The visit took place on December 9th -15th, 2018, and the first (also one of the most important) stop of the trip was the UN Climate Change Conference COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Together with multiple representatives of the NAMA Facility, its Donors, delegates from diverse NAMA support projects, Chinese participants gathered at the NAMA Facility Side Event “Inspiring Ambitious Climate Action” to discuss the implementation experience and transformational power of NAMA support projects and gain an insight into the future of the initiative. During this event, Ms. Chenxin, Division Director, Department of Energy Efficiency in Building and Technology of MoHURD, presented the IWM NAMA project and shared its achievements and lessons learnt with the audience.

IWM NAMA delegation with representatives of MoHURD & 5 demonstration municipalities at COP 24

Ms. Chen Xin from project partner MoHURD (Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China) presented the IWM NAMA project at COP 24 ©Xiao Xueguo

Delegation in AWG Ennigerloh learning the integrated approach for treating the food waste in rural area, ©AWG

Delegation visiting MBA Posen learning mechanical and biological treatment plant based on the modular concept, ©Xiao Xueguo

Following the fruitful exchange at COP24, the delegation had a chance to further deepen its understanding of the NAMA Facility – this time on the premises of its Technical Support Unit (TSU) in Berlin, Germany, focusing precisely on the implementation plans, needs and requirements of five demonstration municipalities of IWM NAMA project.

During the entire trip, the Chinese delegation also visited several best practice projects on low-carbon waste treatment. Through the exchanges with sector associations, private companies, academia and waste treatment facilities operators, Chinese participants get a broad overview of the newest trends in waste management and, specifically, biological waste treatment, as well as learned more about the European Union approach in linking climate change mitigation to waste management modes.