On 25-28 June 2018, the PlastiCircle consortium undertook its first European ‘technical visit’ to Utrecht in the Netherlands, gathering vital data and intelligence ahead of PlastiCircle’s impending pilot projects in three separate European municipalities.
PlastiCircle kicked off its municipality-focused pilot projects in earnest with a visit to the Dutch city of Utrecht on 25-28 June 2018. The technical visit, combined with the consortium’s latest general partner meeting, was a vital opportunity to see firsthand how PlastiCircle innovations will have a lasting impact on the ground for citizens and plastic sector professionals alike.
The PlastiCircle project will pilot a series of innovations in plastic waste collection, transport, sorting and recycling in three municipalities across the European Union: in Alba Iulia, Romania; in Utrecht, the Netherlands; and in the Spanish city of Valencia.
Technical visits in each city allow for the project partners to lay the groundwork for the respective pilot projects by opening key lines of information sharing, discussions on logistics, and of course by setting important planning priorities with the municipalities in question. In the case of Utrecht, PlastiCircle innovations will be piloted from the beginning of 2020 onwards in one of the city’s neighbourhoods, but the planning begins in earnest with meetings on technology deployment and communications and citizen engagement.
The Utrecht visit featured a number of key activities, notably a tour and discussion session at the Suez plastic packaging sorting plant near Rotterdam, as well as meetings at Utrecht city hall, a visit to a waste collection depot and a whistle-stop tour in a possible pilot neighbourhood.
Eric Velthuizen of Utrecht city council said: “The value of the PlastiCircle project to the city of Utrecht is clear. Although our city is either well advanced or making steady progress in many aspects of plastic waste collection, transport, sorting and recycling, PlastiCircle innovations in these areas can be a real boost to our activities as we deploy cutting edge solutions fit for the city of Utecht.”
Mr Velthuizen added: “It is clear that more efficient treatment of plastic packaging has become a priority at European level, so aside from the improvements this will mean for Utrecht, we are also ready and able to share our expertise so that PlastiCircle can have an impact across the continent.”
The PlastiCircle project consortium will be undertaking more technical visits in 2018: to Valencia on 17-18 July, and to Alba Iulia on 12-13 September. PlastiCircle will provide more updates via this web page and live on Twitter via @circ_economy.