On the 8th of January, the Kick-off Lecture of the Symposium will take place in OH113. Subscription is possible till the 7th of January. Follow this link to subscribe.

Breaking Barriers to solve Big City problems
Why the most obvious solution is not here yet: an automatic waste collection system

Holland’s (old) cities are thriving like never before. The economy is growing, tourism is flourishing and population is still rising. The golden age seems not have ended. However this does not come without cost. Our cities were never designed for these numbers of people and for this amount of traffic. Medieval bridges and quays are in a serious condition, air pollution is high, waste is piling up and better sorting is needed to be of any value for the circular economy. Disruptive new ways of thinking (and doing) are needed to solve these big city problems.

Technology is not the problem. Solutions are in fact quite obvious and here. However getting it implemented is the real challenge. Ruben Verbaan will present a new innovative way of solving one of these challenges: an innovative new smart and clean infrastructure to collect waste (or should we say raw materials of the circular economy). He will show you why we don’t have this solution in every city yet. What are the barriers? And what can we learn from this case going forward?

Ruben Verbaan has been an innovator and entrepreneur in a predominantly conservative industry for over 20 years. He knows first hand what it takes to break the barriers and has numerous examples to pick from.