This seminar titled: ‘Waste minimization and utilization in Oulu region:
Drivers and constraints’ are brought to you by the RESOPT project, which is
carried out at the University of Oulu. RESOPT stands for ‘Multidisciplinary
consortium for resource use optimization’, and its purpose was to address
issues of resources use optimization to achieve an eco-efficient flow of resources.
This 2 year project started on July 1st 2003, and was supported by the Eco-efficient
Society Programme of the Ministry of Environment in Finland. Their financial
support is thereby gratefully acknowledged.
The main themes of the project, waste minimization and utilization are reflected
in this proceedings, however, during the 2 years of the project we also touched
upon the issues of waste definitions, waste legislation, clean technologies,
waste treatment, and Waste Management Theory development. Theoretical and
practical research under these subject headings was carried out at the Mass
and Heat Transfer Process Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Riitta
Keiski; at the Department of Chemistry, where the research was supervised
by Docent Toivo Kuokkanen; and at the Industrial Engineering Department were
work was supervised by acting professor Dr. Ulla Lehtinen. During its course,
the project also organized a post-graduate course on waste minimization and
resources use optimization from March 28th to April 2nd 2004, in collaboration
with the Graduate School in Chemical Engineering. Followed a conference was
organized on June 10th 2004, to provide an open forum to RESOPT project members
and collaborators as well as waste minimization and resources use optimization
course participants to present the outcome of their research and exercise
works performed under the subject headings of waste minimization and resources
use optimization. Further, the project also promoted submission of journal
papers, regarding waste management in Finland, to the International Solid
Waste Technology and Management journal.
In our final year, our international activity has been strong, we especially
appreciate the partnership of the Sustainable Wastes Management Unit at the
University College Northampton, in U.K., where Professor Paul S. Phillips,
and Ms. Kathy Holley are gratefully acknowledged for their support and guidance.
Further, bilateral agreement has been wrought with the Masaryk University
of Czech Republic, Faculty of Business Economics, to jointly analyze the “soft
values” affecting waste minimization, such as attitudes of people and motivating
employees. Thanks to Dr. Radoslav Škapa for this cross-country and cross-disciplinary
collaboration.
Special thanks are also due to ‘Topi-team’ for their active collaboration
and continuous support throughout this project, especially to Docents Dr.
Toivo Kuokkanen, Dr. Hannu Nurmesniemi and Dr. Risto Pyökiö.
I am grateful to fellow members of the steering committee for their leadership;
I owe my warmest thanks to Professor Riitta Liisa Keiski for her continuous
support and encouragement.
I would also like to use this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks
to all RESOPT project members and collaborating researchers for their valuable
work within this project, I sincerely hope that this consortium will live
on and our co-operation will continue.
On this 14th day of June 2005,
Eva Pongrácz
RESOPT project manager
CLOSING SEMINAR
