Task 36 Material and Energy Valorisation of Waste in a Circular Economy (previously known as Integrating Energy Recovery into Solid Waste Management Systems) is an international working group which seeks to raise public awareness of sustainable energy generation from biomass residues and waste fractions including municipal solid waste (MSW) as well as to increase technical information dissemination. As outlined in the 3-year work programme, Task 36 seeks to understand what role energy from waste and material recycling can have in a circular economy and identify technical and non-technical barriers and opportunities needed to achieve this vision.
News and Highlights
BioSOLfarm Conference, Rietavas, Lithuania 16 – 18 June 2026
The conference was held at the Rietavas Tourism and Business Information Centre as part of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2021–2027. The conference combined policy discussion with a presentation of the project's results from across Germany, Lithuania, and Poland....
Solutions to plastic pollution in the Baltic Sea region
Every year, around 10 million tonnes of plastic waste end up in the oceans. Plastic pollution remains a growing threat to both ecosystems and the economy. Although most waste comes from everyday consumption, significant amounts still make their way into rivers and...
Recent Events
Webinar: Technical solutions for sustainable handling of Mixed Plastic waste (18th November)
Mixed plastic waste is a challenging waste stream to handle due to its heterogeneous composition and it usually ends up being incinerated or landfilled contributing to environmental challenges such as carbon dioxin emissions and leachate. This webinar organized by...
BBEST & IEA BIOENERGY 2024 CONFERENCE
The BBEST – IEA Bioenergy 2024 Conference will take place in São Paulo, the capital city of the São Paulo state, Brazil, from October 22nd to 24th, 2024. Organized by the Bioenergy Research Program (BIOEN/FAPESP), the International Energy Agency Bioenergy...
Latest Publications and Reports
Implementation Examples for Organic Waste Valorization Technologies
Background Organic wastes — such as wastewater sludge, animal manure, and food waste — present both a management challenge and an opportunity to recover energy and valuable materials. While anaerobic digestion (AD) and composting are widely deployed, they typically...
Advanced sorting & monitoring technologies- Focus: Food waste in Sweden
Food waste remains a major environmental, economic, and social challenge in Europe, with over 58 million tonnes generated annually and households accounting for the largest share. Beyond direct economic losses, food waste significantly contributes to greenhouse gas...
The IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) is organised under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) but is functionally and legally autonomous. Views, findings and publications of the IEA Bioenergy TCP do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the IEA Secretariat or its individual member countries.