A real novelty! The regional level now appears as the right one for the planning of waste management, in many dimensions, including a transversal dimension. This is illustrated by two regions – Pays de la Loire and Occitania. Here-below is a summary of discussions held in Workshop 4 of the Assises.

Waste management planning, which has recently been assigned to Regions, has taken on a new dimension, geographically but also strategically speaking, as it is now considered in a transversal approach, along with other sector-based policies: land use planning, economic development, strategies of circular economy, employment and training, etc. This is a major change compared to former planning schemes, especially in the field of household and similar waste and of non-hazardous waste, which used to be carried out at the level of departments.

Involving all stakeholders

Planning, of course, faces many challenges, as it must be carried out on large territories in which it is sometimes difficult to involve all stakeholders. But it is also an opportunity to rely on territories that really make sense, economically and geographically. There is a real awareness that initiatives and innovation, in the first place, happen at the level of local territories. Their action is not only about planning: the Occitania and Pays de La Loire Regions, based on field realities, have thus been trying to act beyond waste planning, by supporting circular economy initiatives for example.

An indispensable expertise

Collecting information about waste streams, clarifying data, developing regional observatories, etc., are major conditions for a successful planning on a regional scale: knowledge is needed… and needs to be shared! Only the sharing of reliable data will allow the various players to confront their analysis, to put objectives into perspective and to reach consensus. For this, an effort to structure and strengthen observation at regional scale is a prerequisite.

Regions willing to cooperate

While eco-industrialists are in a period of expectancy, waiting for decisions that are likely to impact their activities and future investments, the Occitania and Pays de La Loire Regions are willing to work together, and to stick to both their ambitions and the course mapped out in the various plans. Employment is also a major concern of Regions, which are willing to embrace this issue and to answer the need to restructure and develop new trades linked to circular economy and to the evolution of certain tools. Regions, with their professional competencies, are set to accompany such changes.

> Please also read the summary of the Workshop drawn up during the Assises: Regions: when planning goes hand in hand with cooperation

• recycling
• territories
• circular economy
• Région Pays de la Loire
• Actu'Assises November 2017
• 2017 Conference reports