Waste can be turned into resource

A two-day international conference on solid waste management called WasteSafe began in Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (Kuet) yesterday.

The sixth edition of this conference is jointly organised by Kuet, Bauhaus Universitat Weimer, Germany; University of Padova, Italy, and International Waste Working Group (IWWG).

On the first day of the conference, speakers said while waste materials are considered useless, many of these can be recycled. These can be turned into resources if managed and treated properly.

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque inaugurated the conference. He said it is expected that researchers and professionals will unveil their latest findings and experiences in this forum, and provide guidelines for waste management.

Kazi Hamidul Bari, dean of civil engineering department; Muhammed Alamgir, former VC, and chair of the conference; Mehrab Ul Goni of Practical Action Bangladesh, and Dr Md Liakath Ali of WaterAid Bangladesh spoke at the conference.

Raffaello Cossu, professor at University of Padova, presented a theme paper on waste management. SNV Bangladesh country director Jason Belanger spoke as a special guest.

Over 200 experts, researchers, professionals and social activists from Germany, Italy, Nepal, India and Zimbabwe joined the conference.