Abstract

Save the Planet is the only specialized business event in Bulgaria dedicated to waste management, following the trend of replacing the a€˜take, make, dispose' model with a a€˜circular economya€™ approach across Europe. The exhibitiona€™s focus is the South-East European market, which must respond timely to the growing environmental damage. EU members from SE Europe have to recycle 70% of their construction waste, 50% of the municipal waste and 35% of biodegradable waste till 2020. They are facing numerous challenges to improve their resource efficiency and to achieve the high European waste management targets, which is why Save the Planet offers a suitable platform for introducing innovations in the sector. The 2016 edition took place together with the complementary exhibitions Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (energy efficient technology and alternative energy, waste-to-energy) and Smart Cities (energy efficient building, intelligent transport, software and information systems). Exhibitors from 16 countries participated in the events - companies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA. The Waste Management & Recycling Conference is also organized annually as part of the event. In the 2016 edition it included lecturers from 8 countries: Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the USA and Romania. It was attended by company and state administration representatives from Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Belgium, Poland, the US, the UK, Croatia and Germany.