Welcome Messages

As the President of ATIA-ISWA Italy I would like to say that it is a great privilege to organize the World Solid Waste Congress 2012. I am very delighted and honored to invite you all to come to Florence, from Monday September 17th to Wednesday September 19th 2012.

The Congress will be particularly focused on the problems of developing countries and on how to manage waste in a world of global trade; prevention will be an important issue as well as the technology of biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and energy from waste.

The organizers are working hard to make this Congress successful. We invited interesting international keynote speakers, we have unique sessions with translators in 4 different languages, a varied social program with all the highlights of Florence, which all make it very worthwhile to come to the Congress.

Florence is waiting for you, don’t miss the event of the year!

A warm welcome to all of you,

Alessandro Canovai
President of ATIA-ISWA Italy

It is a great honor and pleasure to host the World Solid Waste Congress 2012 in Florence. I hope the Congress will be a great success and that you come to the beautiful city of Florence.

Florence is the capital city of the region of Tuscany and consequently also the most populous city. The city lies on the river Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Renaissance period, especially for its art and architecture. Florence has much to offer, so the organizers created a comprehensive and varied social programme that attracts everybody.

Florence is paying much attention to the environment in which we want the city to be one of the capitals of environmental sustainability in 2012. Florence is already working on high levels of waste sorting, it has its own compost plant for organic waste and the city is also planning to have a waste incinerator.

It is a complicated job to keep Florence clean, with the many tourists every day. Therefore the Congress is a great opportunity to share ideas and to learn from each other. That is why we as a city are definitely supporting the event and making our best efforts to successfully host the Congress.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Florence in September 2012,

Stefania Saccardi
Environment Councillor

A Warm Welcome to Florence and the ISWA World Congress 2012

As President of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) I am happy to be able to welcome you and all of our world-wide family of waste management to the City of Florence in the historic heart of northern Italy.

After what promises to be a very successful 2011 Congress in Daegu I was particularly pleased that IswaItalia, our Italian national member came forward to offer to host the 2012 ISWA Congress. In the past few years the Italian National Member has been extremely active in its outreach work in neighbouring countries and is well placed to ensure that the whole spectrum of waste management treatment and recovery will be addressed in this Congress.

Italy is strategically located at the hub of the interface between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Italy’s keen interest in improving its environmental sustainability has demanded that it is committed to reorienting its economy to a much greener path to economic development. In this context it will therefore be interesting to see how the country is adapting its waste management industry away from landfill to ensure the enhanced recovery of waste by a wide variety of systems. Conference presentations will be supplemented by a number of industry site visits showing these new iniatives.

As you will be well aware, Firenze offers attractive cultural and tourist venues in its immediate vicinity. Around the city there is also a wealth of globally recognised archaeological, historical, cultural and religious sites, all within easy reach of Florence.

I hope you will join us in what I believe will be both an interesting and informative ISWA Congress and also a culturally enriching experience in a part of the World which with its many attractions offers so much for those committed to enhancing the progress of waste management.

With all my best wishes

Jeff Cooper
President, ISWA 2010-2012