The event was organized on 25 July 2022. Manufacturing enterprises from the Zestaponi and Rustavi regions were invited to attend an online event to discuss and validate the results of an Industrial Waste Mapping (IWM) exercise which was piloted between March 2021 – July 2022.
Topics included the presentation on the principles and benefits of Circular Economy amongst enterprises and decision-makers in Zestaponi and Rustavi, assessment of the IWM report conducted in the two regions, and discussions and recommendations to optimise the waste mapping process to benefit other regions and countries interested in waste management.
The IWM report represents an end product of the collaborative work among team members from UNIDO, SWECO, and UNIDO’s National Implementing Partners in Georgia, the EEC and the REC Caucasus. It consists of nine chapters devoted to the context of waste management, the pilot exercise conducted in Zestaponi and Rustavi, as well as waste producers, waste mapping results, and recommendations for more circular waste management. Hence, the event will serve as a platform for the regions’ stakeholders to review the report, validate the assessed data, and plan and implement the given recommendations. It will also help to further promote and apply the IWM methodology in other regions of Georgia, specifying the concrete steps needed for conducting such an exercise. A draft regional guide for introducing IWM in the EaP region will also be presented and discussed.
The event was held under the EU4Environment Action, particularly, within the “Circular Economy and New Growth Opportunities” activities implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and led by its international partner, SWECO, with the national support of the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) and Energy Efficiency Centre (EEC) Georgia.
Participants
The target audience consisted of representatives and industrial enterprises from the Zestaponi and Rustavi Municipalities, local and national authorities, non-governmental organizations, experts and members of academia from Georgia.
Industrial Waste Mapping (IWM)
Waste management is comprised of the activities and actions required to manage waste from its generation to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with the monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms. An efficient waste management system creates an increased business value. This contributes to the sustainability of manufacturing industries and the promotion of economic opportunities.
The overall objective of waste mapping is then to identify, assess, and map waste streams of manufacturing enterprises in order to develop options for improving resource efficiency and the circularity of materials and by-products in the economy.