As up to 50 % of European municipal waste is organic, valorisation of biowaste is a key tenet of a circular economy. However, numerous regulatory bottlenecks hinder the full deployment of revolutionary solutions in the field. On 27 September 2022, the ROOTS group hosted a policy conference in Brussels to present their recommendations and discuss them with European policymakers and stakeholders. Information on the agenda can be found here.
 

The event saw the participation of several European companies and cities involved to various degrees in the five organising projects (CITYLOOPS, HOOP, SCALIBUR, VALUEWASTE, WaysTUP!). They presented their experiences and achievements related to different topics, from biowaste prevention to insect for feed production, up to citizen awareness. These actors also exposed their concerns and thoughts about the barriers limiting the uptake of circular economy solutions. The event is important for policymakers to learn lessons from the ground, to improve the regulatory framework and to enable the implementation of Circular Systemic Solutions in the area of circular bioeconomy.