The exchange of knowledge, experience and good practices in the field of waste management is the main goal of a study tour of scientists and entrepreneurs from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala in Germany and Poland. Specialists from IETU will familiarise guests from Latin America with Polish organisational and technological solutions on the example of waste management facilities in Cracow, Katowice and Świętochłowice. A three-day visit at IETU will start on 11 April 2018.

Researchers and entrepreneurs from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala are taking part in a study tour in Germany and Poland, during which they will get acquainted with the latest solutions in waste management facilitating the recovery of raw materials and energy from waste as well as methods of their biostabilisation and disposal. The visit is organised as part of the CARE4WASTE project (Caribbean - European Union Research Alliance for Better Waste Management), which aims at raising the awareness of the need to use waste as valuable raw materials and introduce good practices and effective waste management policy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In Germany the guests from Latin America will visit, among others, Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) in Leipzig - a research centre specialising in the use of biomass as a valuable resource for sustainable energy supply. In addition, in Leipzig, they will learn about German solutions and good practices in the field of collection and segregation of municipal waste, recovery of raw materials and municipal waste storage.

During their stay in Poland from 11 to 13 April 2018 the guests from Latin America will get acquainted with the functioning of a sorting plant, landfill and waste collection system in Cracow.      In Katowice, they will learn about solutions applied in the Municipal Services Enterprise, with particular attention being paid to sorting of municipal waste and biostabilisation. They will also visit the INVESTEKO company in Świętochłowice, where they will get acquainted with the functioning of an installation for thermal treatment of waste with energy recovery.

The project is carried out by a consortium of research units from Germany, Poland (IETU), Panama, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, and coordinated by Fraunhofer Gesellschaft from Germany.
The project is implemented as part of the ERANet-LAC programme, and the funds for the Polish part come from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR).
More information can be found on the project website - care4waste.net