Past editions
Waste Management Europe is a landmark event that brings together policymakers, global organizations, and innovative solutions to address waste management challenges and drive the implementation of Circular Economy activities
Statistics
What to aspect from WME 2026?
More Exhibitors, More Sponsors and More Attendees!
WME 2026 will connect thousands of professionals all striving to achieve very important goals and ensure a planet fit for generations to come.
“I truly welcomed the invitation to be among the speakers of the Waste Management Europe Conference, organized in the spirit of networking to move in the direction of the circular economy. I fully share the initiative, the need to spread the culture of recycling, of giving value to waste and transforming it into raw material. I believe that Waste Management Europe goes exactly in the direction of driving towards more conscious lifestyles and a new ecological economic model, and I am happy to have contributed to the success of this edition.”
Hon. Patty L’Abbate – Vice President Commission Environment, Italian Senate
“As Mayor of Bergamo, I am delighted that Waste Management Europe is taking place in Bergamo, a city that is very attentive to sustainability and the environment. Bergamo, in fact, is one of the 100 European cities participating in the EU mission for 100 smart and zero climate impact cities by 2030. Among the many goals to be achieved is the management of a circular economy, a drastic decrease in waste production, CO2 emissions and pollution. Having an efficient circular economy requires major changes in our production and consumption patterns, WME is an incubator for innovative ideas and best practices in the field of waste management. A place where you can meet many of the best players in the industry, identify your competitors and create new synergies.”
Giorgio Gori, Mayor of Bergamo
“Participating in the 3rd edition of the Waste Management Europe Conference & Exhibition in Bergamo as President of Arpa Lombardia has been an important opportunity to bring our institutional presence into contact with the business world in such a delicate time as the one of ecological transition.
WME represents a great opportunity for discussion, relationships and synergies with the best operators in the sector, full of urges and ideas on the main issues that are the subject of the challenges of our time, which increasingly calls us to choose the path of the circular economy.
As President of Arpa, I spoke on a very delicate and urgent topic, that of PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl substances, used massively, due to their qualities, in most industrial cycles.
For some time, this category of substances has been “under special observation” by the international scientific community and regional, national and European bodies, having proven to be polluting and difficult to degrade by the environment.
Since 2018, Arpa Lombardia, together with ISPRA and other regional environmental agencies, has been monitoring the presence of these compounds in the region’s waterways, lakes and groundwater. WME was an opportunity to start questioning the possibility of imagining a world without PFAS and to look for concrete solutions. It will be a privilege for me to be able to visit you again next year!”
Lucia Lo Palo, President – Managing Director ARPA Lombardia
“The Waste Management Europe Conference is once again confirmed as an inspiring and high-level exhibition of leading waste management companies. A crucial space for the circular economy, which will make Europe more resilient and sustainable.”
Joachim Quoden – Managing Director, EXPRA
“I was honoured to attend the Waste Management Expo in Bergamo as President of FEAD. The waste management sector plays a pivotal role in achieving the EU’s climate goals and FEAD represent all the value chain of the waste management sector in Europe.
Achieving a circular and resource efficient economy requires major changes in our production and consumption models. Today, we know that all our efforts could be in vain without the contribution of the manufacturers. Without a proper design that also envisages the end-of-life of the product, there cannot be a real circular economy. Ecodesign must mean design for recycling and design that incorporates secondary raw materials as a rule in products.”
Claudia Mensi – President of FEAD, European Waste Management Association
“WME really came out in a crucial time for the whole industry, and it is destined to grow”
Roberto Sancinelli – CEO, Montello
“The conference effectively facilitated networking among industry stakeholders and showcased the ReMade@ARI offer to startups, SMEs, and corporations at 16 of the EU’s leading research infrastructures. The event was well-organized, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience for all participants. Overall, it was a valuable and insightful event”
Veronica Lattanzi, Scientific BM – Industry and Innovation at EU LSRI Lead, DTI Teknologisk Institut
“WME is a must-attend event for VIDIM. It is an opportunity to exchange views with other experts in the field, as well as one of the most effective means of making our ideas and solutions known to a genuinely interested audience.
Both the exhibition area and the conference offer us the opportunity to connect with competent and focused visitors, who would otherwise be difficult to meet. The time and space on a human scale allows us to welcome them and enjoy their attention, without the distractions typical of more generalist events. The context is ideal for building relationships with potential customers and creating synergies with potential partners. We have the opportunity not only to present our solutions and provide useful ideas for solving open problems, but also to listen, welcome and exchange suggestions in an atmosphere that is always collaborative and open to discussion. The content of the conversations is always at a high level, and the visitors are mostly representatives of important multinationals or leading companies in Italy and abroad.
It is an event that I highly recommend to start-ups for the opportunity to expose their solutions to an audience of experts and decision makers that would otherwise be difficult to reach, and to structured companies to get a preview of what is new in the sector, thanks to both the exhibition and the rich programme of talks, panels and seminars.
The air in Bergamo in spring is full of energy, proactivity and innovation. We always gladly return. I’ll count on meeting up for the 2025 edition!”
Steve Maraspin, Product Manager, VIDIM
“The Waste Management Europe provided a unique opportunity to explore the challenges related to global circular economy and sustainability. It stands as a pivotal event to promote the adoption of more responsible production and consumption paradigms for promoting the adoption of more responsible production and consumption models. As Spoke 5 of the Extended Partnership “MICS – Made in Italy Circular and Sustainable”, we are proud to have participated in this special event, showcasing our vision and several concrete research projects to build together the factory of the future, focused on circularity and sustainability.”
Sergio Terzi, Full Professor in Industrial Technologies, Department of Economics, Management and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Elisa Negri, Senior Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Milano & Scientific Coordinator, MICS – Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile
Elza Bontempi, Full Professor in Fundamental Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, University of Brescia
“WME 2024 in Bergamo has been an opportunity to network and present what the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is able to do in terms of applied research and in collaboration with institutions and companies. The triple experience as exhibitors and speakers both at the conference and at the theatre zone allowed us to make several contacts that we hope will soon turn into research and development collaborations. In particular, at the conference, we had the opportunity to share the outcome of the PINECOR project on WEEE, which could be developed thanks to the support of the Ministry for the Environment (MASE), General Directorate for Circular Economy, as emphasised by Dr. Maria Dina Deodati, who acknowledged the interesting results achieved”
Luisa Barbieri, PhD, Associate Professor, The “Enzo Ferrari” Department of Engineering, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE)
“The 2024 edition of Waste Management Europe represented an important opportunity for our company to create new synergies and consolidate significant relationships with some of our main stakeholders.
In a context full of ideas and with an eye to the future and to innovation, without forgetting the importance of what we have already done, presenting the activities of the integrated water service and the most urgent issues that will have to be addressed in the medium and long term has been a valuable opportunity for growth and development”
Pierangelo Bertocchi, CEO, UNIACQUE SpA
“WME was certainly a very important international platform to bring our outreach project ‘Special focus on PFAS’. The conference dealt with the PFAS issue in all its complexity, from legislation to abatement technologies, from the manufacturers’ point of view to the massive problem of PFAS containment once released into the environment.
We would like to thank WME for its contribution to the organisation and for welcoming us with willingness and kindness, and in particular our main referent who, with passion and professionalism, supported and accompanied us at every step. We would like to mention the speakers who enthusiastically accepted our proposal and were able to involve and inform on a topic that is anything but easy to deal with: Lucia Lo Palo, President of ARPA LOMBARDIA; Claudia Mensi, President of FEAD; Sara Valsecchi, researcher CNR-IRSA; Francesco Bucarelli, President of FOSAN; Valentina Mauri, Legal Affairs Director EMEA The Chemours Company, Fluoropolymers Group; Edoardo Slavik, R&D Manager ERICA; Rachel Houssiere, Application Engineer CHEMVIRON. And finally, we would like to thank the many participants at the conference”
Isabella Stilo, CEO, ERICA Srl
