Fabio Fava
Professor of Industrial & Environmental Biotechnology at the Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna.
Niels Jørn Hahn
Niels Jørn Hahn is president of the International Solid Waste Association for the period 2007-2008. He has throughout his whole active career been involved in the waste management industry. He has held leading positions in both consultancy companies as well as waste management companies involved in recycling and waste collection. He is well known for introducing treatment and collection technologies, and is one of the pioneers within recycling of construction and demolition waste. He holds leading positions in national and international professional organizations.
Cees Buisman
Professor in biologically sustainable technology and scientific director of Wetsus.
Michel Dutang
Head of research at Veolia Environnement.
Niels Jørn Hahn
President of the International Solid Waste Association
Niels Jørn Hahn, giving his personal point of view, says that the lack of treatment facilities is the biggest problem in the field of waste.
People do not want waste treatment facilities in their neighbourhood and politicians do not dare to decide otherwise. The consequence is that waste is land filled. In developing countries there are a lot of social and health problems because they do not have an efficient collection system and because there are people that exist by sorting waste on the open land fills.
But the debate we have now onglobal warming and global change is a gift to the waste management sector. Waste is an opportunity for energy production and for the reduction of CO2 emissions. Biotechnology can play a role - for instance for bio waste from agriculture and also for specific types of bio waste from the industrial sector, restaurants, catering and food companies - but it is not the only solution.