The creation of Norwaste brought together a number of decision-makers from the industry for a short celebration on the sailboat Vega.

Norwaste invited industry partners, and various sides of the waste industry, to a simple marking of the establishment of the company on the Vega sailing ship which was docked in Oslo for the occasion.

About 50 people defied an unstable June-weather and found their way to Langkaia in Oslo. With speakers such as Erik Solheim, Ketil Kjenseth, Hans Petter Karlsen and Mari Mo Osterheider, the attendees also received a professionally interesting framework for the needs that exist in the consulting services market. Erik Solheim emphasized the enormous challenges that countries in the global south now face, highlighting that waste management is on top on the environmental agenda in a number of countries because lack of waste management is about to suffocate communities. He also cited examples of countries and cities in Africa and India that have succeeded in reversing the trend and which today appear to be clean. Erik Solheim has recently taken up the position of Chairman of the Plastic Revolution Foundation. The foundation is to build a pyrolysis plant for plastic waste in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Ketil Kjenseth, chair of the Parliament´s Energy and Environment Committee, emphasized the role of politics in facilitating solutions both nationally and internationally. The waste industry is an area that needs regulation in order for positive changes to occur. A number of processes are underway in the government, including a follow-up to the Parliament´s processing of the waste announcement. The government is investigating a requirement for the sorting of food waste and plastic, and measures to reduce waste from selected disposable plastic items are being investigated. The government is also working on a strategy for circular economics.

Hans Petter Karlsen, director of both the Refuse Collection Agency and the Energy Recovery Agency in Oslo Municipality, emphasized the municipality's role in waste management. The municipality is making the right choices, and these will have an impact on waste management over a long period of time. As the country's largest city, Oslo has its own challenges, and is currently well below the requirements set by the EEA regulations to Norway on 50% material recycling of household waste by 2020. By 2025, the requirements for both household waste and similar waste from companies will increase to 55% and increasing to 60% and 65% by 2030 and 2035, respectively. Oslo is working on measures to increase material recycling.

Mari Mo Osterheider in Hold Norge Rent (Keep Norway Clean), spoke about the great interest in beach cleanup on this year's beach cleanup week, with at least 40,000 beach cleaners. With clearing portal Hold Norge Rent collects data about the beach waste. It turns out that also in Norway many of the objects come from waste on land and knowledge of contexts around waste management and marine litter and solutions to this are therefore important in Norway as well.

Henrik Lystad stated that the interest in the new company has been overwhelming and there has been very positive feedback from many teams. Norwaste is already involved in several tasks for state authorities and the waste industry at home and abroad. Lystad ended by promising more news and that Norwaste will set up for more tasks in the future.

Read more about the people in Norwaste here (only in Norwegian).