“How Municipal Waste Companies Can Drive Circularity” Monika Lichtinghagen-Wirths is Managing Director and Project Lead at the Bergisch Waste Management Association and joins the Circular Week 2026 as a panellist in the mind-opening session of the Regulate, Repair, Redesign track at the Online Conference. Ahead of the event, we spoke with her about the role of municipal companies in driving circularity – read the interview! Which current EU legislation or political initiative do you consider particularly important for the path towards a circular economy? At the EU level, the green deal, in particular, has introduced many legal requirements, which now have to be implemented into German law. Currently, many are related to regulations in packaging law. From a North Rhine-Westphalian (NRW) perspective, however, the national circular economy strategy with its action plan as well as the recently published NRW circular economy strategy, are of particular importance. In your view, what are some „exemplary places“ for circular change? And where can we find these already? You couldn’t have asked a better person : 20 years ago, we transformed a former landfill site into a teaching and research centre for resource management. What was still pioneering work 20 years ago, and was very often met with a great deal of incomprehension, has today developed into the :metabolon site, an internationally recognised research centre. With five research halls covering a wide range of topics relating to material cycles, such as mineral waste and composite plastics, as well as an appropriate transfer infrastructure, this site is one of the pioneers nationwide in implementing circular change. How will municipal waste companies need to change in the course of the circular transformation? Municipal companies will increasingly need to diversify. In the past it was waste disposal only; now topics such as waste recovery, recycling, and thermal treatment have become more relevant. This trend will continue through the implementation of the R-strategies, whereby municipal companies have an important role to play. Above all, when it comes to waste from private households. A major focus will be on recycling centres, in order to be able to accept as many separately collected materials as possible, but also on supporting reuse,recovery and repair. What are the biggest challenges for municipal waste companies in view of these changing responsibilities? The biggest challenges are the changes within the companies themselves. Structures have to be changed, new business models need to be developed, and innovative ideas for individual solutions in the respective region have to be found. For example, whether it makes sense to collect bulky waste directly from people’s homes may depend on the local context. In densely populated areas, such a service may be a practical solution, whereas in rural areas it may not meet the needs of local residents. Every company should therefore analyse its own customers and their needs, and determine how these needs can best be addressed through meaningful environmentally and economically viable circular economy solutions. Monika Lichtinghagen-Wirths is Managing Director and Project Lead at the Bergisch Waste Management Association. Meet her at the Circular Week Online Conference session (in German) “Auf dem Weg zur Kreislaufgesellschaft – Welche Infrastrukturen und Orte wir jetzt schaffen müssen” – register now! Learn more about the Regulate, Repair, Redesign track here and check out the full Circular Week 2026 programme here. For further questions, please contact Dr. Flandra Syla-Beqiri.