Second edition of Waste Minimisation Awards
Waste reduction was the theme of a seminar organised last Friday by WasteServ at Le Méridien St Julian’s Hotel & Spa. This half-day seminar was attended by representatives of various industries, including the hospitality, banking, construction and waste management industries, while NGOs and the public sector were also well represented.
The seminar was aimed at raising awareness on the importance of waste minimisation as a more sustainable option than recycling. The seminar also served to launch the call for applications for two major initiatives that have now become annual events: the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), which is now in its fourth year, and the second edition of the Waste Minimisation Awards. Registration for both events is now open and closes on 31 October.
The EWWR will be held between 17 and 25 November. The aim of this event is to encourage the general public, enterprises as well as non-profit and government entities to think of new ways in which they can reduce the amount of waste they generate and implement their ideas during the given dates. Entities that already implement waste reduction measures can also participate by organising a special activity during the EWWR to promote and raise awareness on the various measures undertaken.
As in previous years, the best initiative in each category will be nominated for the European Waste Reduction Awards, while this year participants will also have the opportunity to enter automatically into the selection process of the local Waste Minimisation Awards.
Building on the first edition of the Waste Minimisation Award organised last year as part of the Environment Awards for Enterprise, WasteServ has once again teamed up with the Cleaner Technology Centre in the University of Malta to organise the second edition of the local Waste Minimisation Awards. This initiative is aimed at rewarding commercial and non-commercial entities for their efforts to successfully minimise the generation of waste. Prizes will be awarded to the best entry in each of the following categories: Commercial enterprises; NGOs and other non-commercial entities; educational bodies. In addition to the prestigious title and related publicity, the award will consist of a certificate and custom-designed trophy.
The seminar also included presentations by a number of guest speakers, including representatives of the Cleaner Technology Centre, Mepa as the regulatory body responsible for legislation related to waste reduction, as well as past participants of the EWWR, namely Le Méridien St Julian’s Hotel & Spa, Hilton Malta and St Clare College. All three excelled in last year’s event and in fact Le Méridien St Julian’s and St Clare College had been nominated by WasteServ for the 2011 European Waste Reduction Awards.