Municipal workshop of ASA Municipal

In Germany, every year an average of 617 kilograms of solid waste are produced per capita. This is one of the highest figures in the EU. The reasons why are manifold – as is the management of the continually expanding volume of waste from everyday consumption. Solid waste is increasingly being seen as a source of valuable materials, for instance through recycling. Here too, Germany is a leader. Municipalities play an important role in this. At the same time the question arises of how we can produce less waste by adopting more sustainable lifestyles. Solid waste has fatal consequences for the environment, and makes a significant contribution toward climate change. To see how these issues work in practice, the participants visited the waste management and recycling centre at Leppe – the 'Metabolon'. This waste management centre is one of the most modern in Europe. It is a centre of competence, learning and innovation for the conversion of materials and on-site environmental technology and engineering.

The municipal workshop offered representatives of (migrant) civil society organisations and initiatives an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the latest approaches and debates on solid waste, climate protection and global justice. Based on the SDGs, the workshop focused on local inputs made in Germany to recycling and waste prevention, and thus to climate protection. What strategies and challenges exist at present? What good practice examples exist at the local level?

Participants were able to present their work and their engagement, and thus promote cooperation between municipalities and civil society. The intention here is to make Germany's contribution to the 2030 Agenda tangible at the local level, and create scope for dialogue, debate and action for all stakeholders involved.

As well as providing training on the topic in the context of municipal development cooperation, the municipal workshop also gave all participants an opportunity to talk about their everyday behaviours and attitudes with respect to consumption and waste, and discuss their own engagement.