This fall's edition of the BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition is taking place in Malaga, Spain, from October 25 to 27, 2026, marking a record for the Bureau of International Recycling, with more than 1,400 participants from 58 different countries.
One of the main announcements made by the association at the welcome press conference was the launch of Future Recyclists, a brand-new online platform that will “connect international graduates and young professionals with careers across the global recycling industry”, with the aim of attracting a new generation of workers to the recycling industry by showing them how this sector can be stimulating and full of new opportunities for all profiles, from engineers to lawyers, from scientists to creative thinkers.
Another topic was the presentation of the results of a new study carried out by BIR in cooperation with KPMG, entitled The Environmental Benefits of Recycling, which will officially be released on January 13, 2027.
Finally, one of the main issues that BIR is currently working on is the list of countries that will not be allowed to import waste from the EU under the Waste Shipment Regulation, which will be announced on November 21. As SteelOrbis recently reported, BIR is currently working to raise awareness of the issue and hold one-on-one discussions with delegates from many of these countries in order to find common ground with the European Union. At the same time, the association is “cooperating very closely with the national associations at European level to see what type of legal action could be envisaged".
