Montbrió del Camp, 29–30 October 2025.
nowWaste successfully celebrated its first edition, becoming a key meeting point for more than 70 leading waste-sector companies in Catalonia and over 100 attendees. Over two days, companies, professionals and experts shared knowledge, experiences and challenges with a common goal: moving forward together towards a more circular and sustainable economy.
Organised by the Waste Cluster of Catalonia (CREC), this new event represents a step forward for the cluster with the creation of the nowWaste brand, which frames its Strategic Immersion and aims to establish itself as the sector’s annual flagship event.
The event took place on 29 and 30 October in Montbrió del Camp and was sponsored by Alier, Molins, Recupera —from the Catalan Recovery Guild— and RETEMA.
A space for collaboration, knowledge and innovation to boost the sector’s competitiveness in Catalonia
Under the motto “From waste to resource”, nowWaste has established itself as a space for collaboration, knowledge and inspiration, where key issues for the sector’s competitiveness and sustainability were addressed.
The first day included presentations and hands-on workshops on compliance, sector communication (to enhance the sector’s visibility and reputation) and the identification of shared challenges, with contributions from experts such as Víctor J. Martín (Martín & Parés Abogados), Spora, Laura Talens (ICTA) and Alfons Cornella.
Throughout the event, dialogue and reflection were fostered around the strategic role of the waste sector in the circular economy. A highlight was the institutional roundtable featuring Albert Planell, Director of the Waste Agency of Catalonia, and Margarita Ruiz Saiz-Aja, Deputy Director-General for Waste at MITERD, who emphasised the importance of collaboration between institutions. “Eco-design is vital to reduce the overall impact of products and improve their recyclability,” stated Ms. Margarita Ruiz.
María Jesús Puerta Angulo, winner of the 2024 NASA Lunar Recycle Challenge, shared her personal experience, illustrating how artificial intelligence is transforming the field and opening a world of opportunities where data—combined with effort and perseverance—can make a real difference.
The event also featured the Circular Talks, discussions on circular economy models and practices, showcasing success stories such as luminaire eco-design (ECOLUM – CARANDINI), equipment reuse (Formación y Trabajo – Penedès-Garraf Commonwealth – FCC Medioambiente), and textile and container recycling (MANGO – COLEO – ROS ROCA – TIRGI). These were moderated by María Armiñana, head of the Circular Economy Chair at Tecnocampus, who noted: “Circularity doesn’t happen by improvisation.”
CREC takes a step forward
According to Carmen López-Quintana, cluster manager of CREC, “nowWaste was created to grow, to connect companies and generate real synergies that help us move towards a more sustainable and collaborative model.”
