Hazards Out! Workshop #1

The first workshop of a series of events on the separate collection of household hazardous waste implemented within the Hazards Out project took place on the 11^th of February 2025. It gathered approximately 90 professionals from the waste management and recycling sector, public and local authorities, consultancy, academia, NGOs and civil society, other industries, and media to address the important question What is going to change?

The workshop provided insightful information about the European regulatory framework and available guidelines on the separate collection of household hazardous waste, as well as the different perspectives and challenges of the industry and local authorities.

Paolo Campanella, secretary general of the European Waste Management Association FEAD, opened the conversation by highlighting the importance of separate collection of this specific waste stream. “Household hazardous waste can heavily impact the waste management sector and hinder recycling, especially if misplaced. That is why we need separate collection and treatment.” He provided a short overview of the Hazards Out project – a multi-stakeholder partnership led by FEAD, in partnership with ACR+ | Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management and Hazardous Waste Europe, and facilitated by NOWMORE. The partners will organise a series of workshops to exchange best practices and boost collaboration on the HHW management and support the local authorities, industry and other stakeholders with the implementation of the separate collection of HHW mandatory since 1st of January 2025.

The guest speaker, Daniele Ape, policy officer at the DG Environment, European Commission, who is currently responsible for the development of hazardous waste related policies in the ‘Waste to resources’, provided a detailed overview of the European regulatory framework and highlighted the support and monitoring by the European Commission. He reminded that effective separate collection of HHW is an essential part of the efficient waste management, but prevention and reduction should always remain a priority.

The president of Hazardous Waste Europe Nicolas Humez further explained what household hazardous waste is and shared insightful information about the existing collection schemes, transport issues and collection rates. He raised the importance of appropriate treatment facilities and sufficient capacity to ensure proper hazardous waste management.

“For municipalities, collecting household hazardous waste is a big challenge due to the very diverse waste in small and diffused quantities”, stated Françoise Bonnet, secretary general of ACR+. She explained the local authorities’ perspective and raised the importance of collaboration and the exchange of best practices and know-how to improve the waste management system in Europe.

The participants had the opportunity to raise their questions and share their comments in a dynamic and insightful discussion moderated by Jean-Paul Judson, founder and manager of NOWMORE. The topic of household hazardous waste and its proper collection and treatment proved very relevant to the audience and the need for further exchange among the community of experts was indicated.

The next episode will explore in more detail different collection methods of household hazardous waste and provide several examples from different municipalities and national authorities.

Hazards Out team extends its gratitude to the expert speakers and all participants and will continue to support the implementation of the separate collection of household hazardous waste for a cleaner and more sustainable Europe!