“Waste management: collection, recycle, reuse: an opportunity for regional cooperation, productive activities and environmental protection in the Euro-Mediterranean region”, was the topic of the latest event in a series of Conferences organized within the framework of the Panel on Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. The meeting was held on 29-30 May 2014, and organized at the invitation of Confindustria (Italian Federation of Industries), with the support of the Chamber of Commerce of Caserta.
Parliamentarians from the PAM member and partner countries, as well as experts of the sector, regional and international institutions, such as PABSEC and the members of the PAM Panel, discussed a number of topics with the aim to pave the way for the promotion of a comprehensive and coherent Mediterranean network for a holistic approach to waste management in terms of environment, management of resources, quality of life and business/job creation opportunities, as well as harmonized legislations.
The PAM Panel Meeting focused on three specific themes, namely “The Current waste management system in the Mediterranean: best practices, institutional design and technologies”, “Collaboration and cooperation between institutions and operators”, and “Regional initiatives, agreements and collective actions”. An open debate followed each session and a number of practical proposals from a legislative and operational aspect were put forward and discussed by the participants.
The conclusions of the Caserta meeting mainly highlighted the importance of analyzing and tackling the issue of waste management at the wider regional level, the need to consider waste as a resource, with benefits on the standard of living, employment and quality of the environment, and finally the crucial role of education, especially in terms of promoting, in a structured manner, among youth and the citizens at large, the value and the collective advantages that can be achieved in the waste management cycle through a more active and responsible participation and commitment at the individual level.
In his final comments Eng. Alessandro Ortis, Co-Chair of the PAM Panel, stated that “Managing to implement the proposals and conclusions of the Meeting would allow turning waste into a resource, with benefits on the standard of living, employment and the quality of the environment”.