From 13 – 15 November, the largest German-speaking waste management conference in Europe was held at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben. The event was organised by the Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and takes place every two years at the beginning of November. This prestigious gathering brought together participants from academia and industry to discuss cutting-edge topics in waste management and technology. The 2024 conference focused on key areas such as circular economy, sensor-based sorting including robotics, artificial intelligence, and eco-design. Other highlights included case studies, best practices, and discussions on mineral waste, industrial residues, and climate protection. A total of 752 attendees enjoyed 163 presentations organized into five parallel sessions over the course of the three-day event.

Of course, our ReSoURCE project was also represented and was already mentioned on the first day in the plenary lecture by Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont. Roland Pomberger. On Thursday evening, the project was featured in a detailed presentation titled “The heat is on!” which discussed the journey from material characterization to sensor training based on insights obtained during the project. Additionally, on the final day, participants learned about the practical applications of the lasers developed by LSA, with a focus on the sorting unit created as part of the ReSoURCE initiative.

Picture 1:  Alexander Leitner and Florian Feucht presenting project ReSoURCE.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alexander Leitner and Simone Neuhold once again: I really enjoyed working with you on the presentation as well as presenting it together.

One of the most anticipated sessions of the conference is the ‘Leoben Waste Debate’, where a specific topic sparks lively discussion among experts. This year, the debate centered on the question, “Secondary raw materials need rights: Are end-of-waste regulations THE solution for an intelligent circular economy?” This engaging one-hour discussion took place at the end of the first day, providing a thought-provoking conclusion to the first day.

Picture 2: Leoben Waste Debate

Three conference days full of exciting presentations later, I can summarise the Recy DepoTech 2024 as a very successful event, both as a visitor and as part of the organisation team.

Will visit again, so see you at Recy DepoTech 2026!

Picture 3: Organization Team behind Recy DepoTech

Photo credits: © Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management of  Montanuniversitaet Leoben.