Earlier this month, our partners ICLEI-Europe, SLU, and Sanitation 360 hosted a highly successful workshop in collaboration with the German pilot project to explore how good governance can support source separation in Sweden. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors, including government representatives, environmental experts, and innovative companies, to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding source separation initiatives.
The event sparked insightful conversations around the role of the public sector in facilitating resource-oriented sanitation. One of the key takeaways from the session was that while small-scale source separation efforts are gaining traction in Sweden, there is still a significant barrier to widescale implementation: a lack of incentives to encourage greater investment in these initiatives. Without these incentives, it remains challenging to scale up source separation in a way that could significantly reduce waste and increase resource recovery.
Among the participants were notable Swedish organizations such as VA SYD, Sweden Water Research, and Lunds Kommun, all of whom brought invaluable expertise to the discussion. These stakeholders, alongside their counterparts from the pilot project, explored practical solutions to overcome the barriers and make source separation more appealing to communities and businesses alike.
This workshop also serves as a crucial step towards the development of practical guidelines for local and regional governments, helping them better support the adoption of Resource-Oriented Sanitation practices. Furthermore, the policy recommendations that emerged from these discussions will be shared with national and EU-level policymakers, with the goal of influencing broader legislative and regulatory frameworks to promote sustainability in sanitation.
As this initiative progresses, stay tuned for more opportunities to engage in the development of these important guidelines and recommendations. By working together, we can create a cleaner, more sustainable future for all.
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