Resourcing Scotland 2026

About This Event

Resourcing Scotland 2026 is a one-day industry event organised by CIWM Scotland, the Renewable Energy Association, RMAS, SESA and the Local Authority Waste Managers and Officers Network. It takes place on 5 November 2026 at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. The event explores the theme "From Route Map to Reality: Delivering Scotland's Circular Economy Reform" and includes a plenary session, breakout workshops, a networking reception with live music, and an awards ceremony. Tickets are available through the organiser's booking platform.

The programme includes a plenary session examining how the Deposit Return Scheme, Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility and the Emissions Trading Scheme align with Scotland's Circular Economy Route Map. Six breakout sessions cover fire risk mitigation in waste facilities (with speakers from Glasgow City Council and Biffa), behaviour change to improve recycling collections (chaired by Jenny Grant of REA, with speakers from Zero Waste Scotland and South Ayrshire Council), reuse partnerships hosted by Circular Communities Scotland, skills and careers in the sector with CIWM President Vicki Hughes, local authority collection challenges (chaired by Ross Sharp-Dent of Scottish Borders Council), and management of residual waste plastics.

The event addresses practical implementation challenges facing Scotland's resource and waste sector as major policy reforms move from planning to delivery. It offers professionals the chance to hear from decision-makers, share lessons learned from recent incidents such as battery fires, and explore how to improve recycling performance while managing costs. The awards programme recognises outstanding young people, teams and organisations in the sector.

Key Takeaways

• Plenary session covers alignment of DRS, pEPR and ETS with Scotland's Circular Economy Route Map
• Breakout sessions include fire prevention, behaviour change for recycling, reuse partnerships and workforce skills
• Speakers confirmed from Glasgow City Council, Biffa, Zero Waste Scotland, South Ayrshire Council and Scottish Borders Council
• Evening networking reception with live string quartet followed by industry awards ceremony

Who Should Attend

• Waste and resource management professionals in Scotland implementing circular economy reforms
• Local authority waste managers and officers dealing with collection service changes
• Sustainability leads responsible for fire safety, recycling performance or reuse programmes
• Industry practitioners seeking to understand DRS, pEPR and ETS implementation challenges