Visiting circular economy top initiatives in Denmark

The CoR's Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy visited Denmark on 9 May to explore and discover top leading initiatives on the circular economy. The delegation was headed by Ms Sirpa Hertell, Vice-Chair of the ENVE commission and was joined by twelve CoR members from ten different countries.

CoR's delegation was welcomed by Mr. Jens Ive, Mayor of Rudersdal and President of the Danish Delegation to the CoR. Delegates visited the Roskilde waste-to-energy plant, a waste management company owned by nine municipalities situated 30 km south west Copenhagen. The company serves approximately 400,000 citizens and 20,500 companies. The facility in Roskilde has an annual capacity of 350,000 tonnes.

At the Local Government Denmark Association (LGDK) headquarters in Copenhagen, delegates attended the presentation of four Danish flagship initiatives.

Samsø “Full Circle Island" project: In October 2015 Samsø launched the ambitious “Full Circle Island  project, aimed at making the isle the first place in the world where circular economy is fully implemented.

Samsø has reached its ambition to be fully powered by sustainable energy sources.

Næstved Ressource City: Næstved Resource City aims to develop a green industrial cluster by bringing together business, entrepreneurship and education. The Resource City provides practical experience with collecting, sorting and reusing waste, also to create new products. This circular economy project creates jobs and growth for the municipality of Næstved.

Kalundborg Symbiose : An industrial symbiosis is a local collaboration where public and private enterprises buy and sell residual products, resulting in mutual economic and environmental benefits. The Kalundborg Symbiosis is an industrial ecosystem in which the by-product of one enterprise is used as a resource by another enterprise in a closed cycle.

Members had an on-site visit of the Nordhavn project, a new urban district in Copenhagen setting standards for environmental, social and sustainable development. On a local scale the project will create a sustainable urban district that blends seamlessly with its surroundings. On a global scale, The Nordhavn Project will put Copenhagen on the world map as an international role model.

The ENVE Commission has placed "circular economy and an ambitious waste management" amongst its four key thematic priorities for 2015. The Committee of the Regions will adopt 15 June its opinion on the proposed new EU waste legislation and is currently drafting the opinion on the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. Ms Babette Winter, rapporteur of the circular economy opinion was present in Denmark. This study visit is therefore placed very timely to contribute with practical experiences to the political recommendations the European Committee of the Regions is working on.