Recycling and Waste Minimisation

Circular and Low Carbon Cities Project Lead and Recycling and Waste Minimisation Working Group Chair at ISWA International Solid Waste Association. 

Dirk Nelen is a bioengineer. He started his professional career in Chile, where he worked for almost two decades, among other as a lecturer, agricultural and environmental consultant, and as the responsible for the environmental department of a medium-sized city. Since 2010, he works as a researcher at the Sustainable Materials Management department at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, VITO. His research topics focus on urban mining, recycling, sustainability assessments at life cycle and value chain level, industrial ecology and industrial symbiosis. He is involved in a number of initiatives on waste and materials management in a circular economy context, implemented by strategic partnerships that include businesses, public authorities and research organisations. His work usually aims to support the analysis and successful implementation of raw material policies. For the European Topic Center on Waste (ETC WMGE), Dirk contributes to various tasks related to waste management and trade, sustainable procurement of materials, and industrial emissions.