Between April 20-21, 2021, Maramureș County Council organized a new interregional meeting, held online, within the project "Reduces - Rethinking Sustainable Development in European Regions Using Business Models of the Circular Economy". The meeting focused on the theme "Resource Efficiency and Recycling" and more than 50 guests attended, stakeholders in the Circular Economy at the local level, from business, academia, local institutions and organizations, as well as international partners from Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
The first day of the interregional meeting held online, but also with physical presence, in the “Bogdan Vodă” hall of the Maramureș County Council, in compliance with the distance rules in force, began with the opening of the event by the president of the Maramureș County Council, Ionel Bogdan, who emphasized in his speech the importance of the concept of Circular Economy applied to Resource Efficiency and Recycling.
”Maramureș County has been actively involved in the Reduces project, using Business Models of the Circular Economy, having the motivation of things to be done for the future, in order to prepare the ground for what is to crystallize at European level in this field. We are pleased to host this interregional meeting, and in this way, I also welcome the international project partners from Finland, Spain, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
For many, the concept of Circular Economy is an unknown notion, but not in Maramureș. We had the pleasant surprise to find that the Circular Economy exists in our county in various stages during the project, either incipient or even developed.
I congratulate the business environment in Maramureș involved in this project and which applies the principles of the Circular Economic. With such companies, we will only have something to gain in the future,” said the president of the County Council, Ionel Bogdan.
The event was also attended by the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, Raul Pop, who congratulated the County Council team and international partners for the project and its expected results, as well as experts from the North-West Regional Development Agency who presented "Regional Development Plan 2014-2020 and Successful Projects and Initiatives in the Field of Circular Economy in the North-West Region". In addition, in the first part of the event, the circular economy initiatives at local level and energy efficiency projects implemented by the city of Baia Mare were presented.
Maramureș County brought to the attention of the interregional meeting two current and important presentations: "Local approaches to waste collection, sorting and recycling" in the presentation of Sandu HOTIMA, executive director of the Intercommunity Development Association for Integrated Waste Management in Maramureș County, and " Composite materials made of natural fibres, for the mobile industry ”in the presentation of Ioan CIONCA, manager of the Research-Development Department within the company TAPARO SA.
Next, each partner presented an example of good practice on “Resource efficiency and recycling”, as follows: “Sustainable hemp structures” from Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland), “Mandatory use of recycled construction materials (sand and gravel) in all municipal works in Gandia ”by the Spanish partner Instituto de Construcciones Valencia,“ Reconditioning and reuse of returned electrical appliances ”by the Dutch partner in Utrecht and“ A new approach to recycling in Greater Manchester ”by those from the UK.
The next day, 21 April, the interregional meeting continued with discussions by international partners and stakeholders on the progress made so far on "Developing local action plans." In addition, the external consultant in the field of the circular economy for the Reduces project, Monica Mureșan from the Bistrița-Năsăud Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presented the “Action Plan of the Rural SMEs project.”
Watch the video below about restoration of traditional houses in Maramures. The video was presented at the interregional meeting.
