In Memory of Jean-Paul Leglise

With a very sad heart I received the information that my good friend and ISWA Past President Jean Paul Leglise has passed away. Jean Paul was not only an ISWA member, he was a supporter, an enthusiast and a “revolutionary” in our association, of whom I will always remember the kindness and advices from late night talks. I’d like to convey my condolences to his family and beloved ones.

For me Jean-Paul and ISWA were like a hand in a glove. I had known him from when I joined ISWA and can remember how Jean-Paul was always so disenchanted with the STC as it was too much about process and so little about technical matters. That was to change over the years, but he really did get fed up with us debating the past and not looking forward.  He and I had a friendly love hate relationship as we both very much liked our rugby and there was much ribbing between us when it came to the six nations. I’m never sure who came out on top, but I suspect we both felt that we were the winners. I know that it was that led to his demise, but I do fondly remember him with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of red in the other.

I first met with Jean-Paul when he became chair of the working group of hazardous waste. After the first meeting he came across to me and said: We have had some really good discussions today, I hope we can meet again and continue these discussions. I believe these words reflect Jean-Paul’s character well. He was knowledgeable and committed and always prepared to discuss waste management issues. He was a great inspiration to us who worked with him. He was fond of people. I will miss him as a good colleague and as a friend.

Jean-Paul was my boss a few years before he retired. In my missions, he opened the way like an icebreaker on strategic issues for safe and responsible management of hazardous wastes and, our today successes owe him a lot! I loved working with him, he was always challenging your ideas to help you go further. A free spirit, a man of values and benevolent.

On behalf of myself and the National Member association of the UK and Eire, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, I would like to express my sadness at the recent loss of Jean Paul Leglise to cancer.

We worked very closely together in ISWA over many years from the 1980s onwards in order to ensure the enhancement of waste management standards globally.
He was always very keen and enthusiastic about his work with ISWA and made contributions both to the Biological Treatment of Waste Working Group and the Hazardous Waste Working Group.

He was very pleased that ultimately he was elected as ISWA President, well deserved recognition for the efforts he had made over a lengthy career in waste management.
Even long after he had ceased to be President he was still actively involved in the promotion of more sustainable waste management, especially through the ISWA Hazardous Waste Working Group.

I last met him in person at the ISWA Congress in Bilbao in October 2019, where as always he was in good spirits, despite his illness.

He will be sadly missed by the ISWA family.

I am very sorry to hear that sad news. It was a pleasure to work with Jean Paul on waste management issues. We had differing opinions and approaches for solving what seemed to be intractable. I used to tease him that he was a “Waste Philosopher ”.  Jean Paul  (while he was President)and I wanted ISWA to change from a Eurocentric organization to a Global force. He was also very supportive of my attempt (during my Presidency) to ask ISWA National members to compete for hosting the ISWA Head Quarters.

Whenever he visited the USA, we had long discussions about ways and means to upgrade Solid Waste management programs in the developing nations.- of course over a few glasses of American wine! We had arguments about tobacco smoking and he would say it was carbon neutral! He was also fond of purchasing dress shirts in the USA and going to special stores for that.

Sorry to hear the demise of a good friend – May his Soul Rest in Peace.

I met Jean Paul for the first time more than twenty years ago in a Board meeting where he was present as the organizer of the ISWA World Congress which would  be held in Paris.  My first impression was to have found a tough, combative and committed person decided to organize one of the most successful ISWA Congresses.

As time passed by, I discovered behind this first thought that at the same time he was a friendly and enjoyable one, showing always and above all his great solidarity. I’ve always admired his professionalism and I feel deeply honoured to have been his colleague and friend
I will never forget our discussions about wines. As he was a connoisseur I was delighted when he admitted the good quality of the Argentinian malbec.

In our next toast there will be more than an empty space.

Chau Jean Paul

Jean-Paul was a very good friend of mine since the 1990s. We worked together for many years in ISWA in a very friendly, constructive and developing atmosphere where I very much enjoyed the esprit and humour of Jean-Paul. We had wonderful discussions about almost everything, in an open-minded, pragmatic as well as a philosophic way, especially about waste management and its development worldwide. I very much enjoyed the company of Jean-Paul and I looked forward to every meeting with him.

I am missing a very good, empathetic and dear friend and a very professional, skilful, visionary colleague. I will for ever remember Jean-Paul in a very bright memory!

My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

I got to know Jean-Paul well over the past years and there was never a dull conversation with him. He was passionate about his work and deeply concerned about improving hazardous waste management across the globe. He always said ‘the laws of science are the same everywhere, and they don’t care about regulations’ meaning that hazardous wastes are potentially harmful to human health and the environment in the same way everywhere and therefore have to be treated in the same manner. He was as enthusiastic about life as he was about his work and this was apparent at every event and get together. Rest in peace Jean-Paul! You will be sorely missed at all future ISWA gatherings.

Very sad to hear about the passing of Jean-Paul, with whom I shared many nice moments. I very much appreciated his knowledge, his perseverance, his genuine warmth as a colleague and person.  I am sure that Jean-Paul is now in a place where he will be enjoying some of his favourite Chimay.

Here, he will be missed.

I’d worked closely with Jean-Paul for a number of years around matters of the ISWA Working Group on Hazardous Waste. Jean-Paul has never ceased to impress me and ISWA’s cooperation partners with the depth of his character and the breath of his knowledge. He will be dearly missed.

My fondest memory of Jean-Paul was from 2015. I was in Paris for a Working Group Meeting. He found out we were in town and invited us out to lunch in his favourite bistro, recklessly driving us around the Champs-Élysées in his beautiful vintage Jaguar. As I looked down at the menu, only in French, I asked Jean-Paul if there was anything without meat. “MY FRIEND, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE. YOU WILL EAT NOTHING” he exclaimed loudly for everyone to hear in his thick French accent. He proceeded to eat pig’s cheek soup. That was Jean-Paul – he did not care about what others thought about him and that made him all the more endearing.

I am truly sorry for Jean Paul loss. I met him first time six years ago and was impressed with his kindness and willingness to share. Despite his illness he continued his passion for the waste sector and always was there to clarify or support with his way. I give my condolences to the entire family. God rest his soul!

I have known Jean Paul for many years. I had worked with him as ISWA Board member for six years. He also was the ISWA President when I was preparing the ISWA World Congress at İstanbul, Turkey at 2002. He was very meticulous for every details, but he was always ready to give all the support whenever needed. I remember his joy about giving all kind of information and explanation about the wine while drinking. We were very good friends and I will really miss him a lot. Sleep at peace Jean.

I’m very sad with the bad news that I didn’t ever want to hear of a very special friend, and Jean Paul was one of them. Its  “fun” of LIPOR, and about our work in this little country, Portugal .

He helped us when we are building our WtE Plant , and he liked very much our capacity to go on with important investments in this Sector. Rest in peace.