The 16th International Conference on Waste Management and Technology (the 2021 Global Waste Forum) was successfully held online and offline in Beijing from June 26 to 28, 2021. This conference, with the theme of advancing the construction of “Zero-waste City”, was hosted by Tsinghua University, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-Building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific, and the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences. It was organized by Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific, the Society of Solid Waste of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, Institute of Solid Waste Pollution Control Technology of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, China Association of Environmental Protection Industry Solid Waste Treatment and Utilization Division and Institute of Process Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences. United Nations Regional Development Center (UNCRD), International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), MDPI, Qingdao Standard Environmental Technology Research Institute Co., LTD., Foshan Shunde Xinhuanbao Resource Utilization Co., LTD., GreenNovo Environmental Technology CO.,Ltd., Go Higher Environmental Group Co., LTD., BHS-Sont hofen GmbH, Anhui Kemi Instrument Co., LTD., Shanghai Zhougu Electrical Technology Co., LTD., Resources, Conservation & Recycling Journal, Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Journal, Resources Policy Journal, Resources, Environment and Sustainability Journal provided support for the conference. At the conference, Tsinghua University Press also launched a new English journal Circular Economy, and intends to appoint Professor Jinhui Li, chairman of the organizing committee of the conference, as its chief editor.

The conference included a plenary conference, 3 parallel conferences and 19 online and offline sessions. Representatives were from UNEP China, UNEP Sustainable Transport, UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre, UN Regional Development Centre, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in China, UNEP Secretariat for the Pacific Region, Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in Tehran, Iran, Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Arab States, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean, and seven other United Nations agencies and intergovernmental organizations. Additionally, 208 officials and experts from 34 countries and regions, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Austria, Australia, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Germany, the Philippines, Colombia, Guyana, the Netherlands, Canada, Cambodia, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, New Zealand, Iran, Italy, India, the United Kingdom and China, delivered reports. Over 800 experts and representatives attended both online via Zoom and onsite, with a total of 2.424 million views of the conference livestream (290,000 views on Yun Live, 1.363 million on Fenghuang News, and 771,000 on NetEase News).

On the morning of June 26, Dr. Jinhui Li, Professor from the School of Environment of Tsinghua University and Executive Director of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific, presided over the opening ceremony of the conference. Zhiqiang Zhou, Inspector and Deputy Director of the Department of Solid Waste and Chemicals, Ministry of Ecology and Environment; Jiming Hao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Dr. Jianguo Liu, Academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Michigan State University; Rolf Payer, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, the Stockholm Convention and the Rotterdam Convention; Ruihe Tu, Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme China Office, and Bin P, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, delivered opening remarks.

 

 

Opening ceremony

 

 Zhiqiang Zhou, Inspector and Deputy Director of Department of Solid Waste and Chemicals,

 Ministry of Ecology and Environment, delivered a speech

Jiming Hao, Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a speech

 

 

Rolf Payer, Secretariat of the Convention, Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention,

 Rotterdam, Michigan, USA, delivered a speech

 Jianguo Liu, Distinguished Professor of the State University, delivered a speech

 

 

Ruihe Tu, Representative from United Nations Environment Programme

Bin Peng, Deputy Secretary-General of China Society of Environmental Sciences,

 

 

 

Jinhui Li, Professor from School of Environment of Tsinghua University/Executive Director of Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific, presided over the opening ceremony of the conference

At the plenary session on June 26, the keynote speech session was chaired by Dr. Xianlai Zeng, co-chairman of the conference, associate researcher of the School of Environment of Tsinghua University and deputy director of the Think Tank Center of Tsinghua University. Ms. Xiaohong Chen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Hunan University of Technology and Business, delivered an online keynote speech on the topic of "Modernization of Green Smart City Governance in the Era of Digital Economy". Xuefeng Wen, Director of the Solid Division of Solid Waste and Chemicals Department, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, delivered a keynote speech titled "The Effectiveness of the pilot work of 'Zero-waste City' construction and Consideration for the next step"; Mr. Seeram Ramakrishna, Academician of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Singapore Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Engineering of India, Foreign Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology, Professor of the National University of Singapore, delivered an keynote speech online titled "Recycling Gap in Solid Waste Management"; Mr. Saleem H. Ali, Distinguished Professor of Energy and Environment, University of Delaware, USA, delivered an keynote speech online on the topic of "Developing a Circular Economy of Mineral Waste".

 

 

 Xiaohong Chen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President

of Hunan Technology and Business University, delivered the keynote speech

Xuefeng Wen, Director of the Solid Division of Solid Waste and Chemicals Department,

Ministry of Ecology and Environment, delivered the keynote speech

 

 

Saleem H. Ali, Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering and Professor of the National

University of Singapore, delivered the keynote speech

Mr. Seeram Ramakrishna, University of Delaware,delivered the keynote speech

 

 

Xianlai Zeng, Co-chair of ICWMT16, Associate Researcher of School of Environment,

Tsinghua University, Deputy Director of Think Tank Center, Tsinghua University

Dr. Zeng Xianlai chaired the "Invited Keynote Presentation" session

 

Xiao Liu, Project Director, introduced the practical implementation of the "Appropriate Mitigation

Actions for Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management in Chinese Cities" project by GIZ

 

  

Edgar Hertwich, Professor and Member of the United Nations Environment Programme

 International Resource Panel, delivered a keynote speech.

Yong Geng, Professor and Dean of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering

at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gave a plenary speech.

 

 

Kazuyo Matsubae, Professor at Tohoku University in Japan, delivered a plenary speech.

Yifan Gu, Associate Researcher and Deputy Director of the Circular Economy Research

Institute at Beijing University of Technology, gave a plenary speech.

 

 

Anupam Khajuria, PhD, from the United Nations Regional Development Centre, delivered a

keynote speech.

Jocelyn Bleriot, Executive Director of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, gave a plenary speech.

 

 

Stefan Rau, Urban Development Expert from the Asian Development Bank, delivered

 a plenary speech.

Weiqiang Chen, Researcher at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy

of Sciences, gave a plenary speech.

 

 

Jia Li, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of the China-UK Low Carbon College,

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, chaired the circular economy session.

Lili Liu, Researcher at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, and Assistant Director

 of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific.

 

 

Geizhong Chen, director of Soil and Rural Environmental Management Section, Sanya

Ecological Environment Bureau, delivered a speech on the conference.

 

On June 27, a parallel conference was held offline around waste plastic governance, plastic recycling economy, and marine microplastics, featuring keynote speeches and presentations from 14 experts. At the same time, a parallel online session was held via zoom, where 10 experts gave keynote presentations on topics such as circular economy, municipal solid waste management, and agricultural waste. From June 27 to 28, a total of 19 online and offline sub-forums were held, addressing themes such as circular economy, solid waste in daily life, bulk industrial solid waste, electronic waste, hazardous waste, and waste plastics. Notable events included the International Partnership for Expanding Local Solid Waste Management Services—A Partnership for Achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, jointly organized by the United Nations Regional Development Centre and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific; the Second High-End Forum on "Zero-waste City," organized by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific; and a Student Forum jointly hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific.