Waste Crime Minister to Keynote ISWA World Congress 2026 in London

Around 1,000 waste, resources and circular economy professionals from more than 65 countries will convene in London next week, where Waste Crime and Circular Economy Minister Emma Hardy MP will deliver a keynote address at the ISWA World Congress 2026.

Hardy will speak at the QEII Centre on Wednesday 11 November during the three-day Congress, which the UK is hosting for the first time in 30 years. The programme runs to roughly 200 speakers and 120 technical sessions. CIWM is hosting the event in partnership with the International Solid Waste Association.

The date carries a second significance. The keynote falls as the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference opens in Turkey, where 11 November has been designated a Zero Waste thematic day. One minister, one stage, two climate calendars converging on the same Wednesday.

What is the UK Government's message?

Hardy's appearance comes as the Government continues to implement major reforms across recycling, packaging and waste tracking, alongside policies designed to tackle waste crime. Her keynote is expected to serve as the ministerial framing for that reform agenda before an international audience.

Speaking ahead of her appearance, Hardy said: "As we gather at the ISWA World Congress 2026, it's clear that the waste and resource management sector is at the forefront of our efforts to build a sustainable future."

She added: "This government is taking action to tackle the challenges facing the sector, from cracking down on waste crime to supporting the transition to a circular economy where we use things for longer and products are built to last. I look forward to meeting and speaking to attendees later this month."

The wording is deliberate. Waste crime enforcement and circular economy transition sit side by side in her brief, and the Congress agenda treats them as two faces of the same policy file.

What will the Congress cover?

The programme targets what organisers describe as the most pressing issues facing the sector globally. Sessions will address:

• Political commitment
• Waste planning
• Investment and the economics of waste
• Social value
• Environmental protection
• The transition towards a more circular economy

Dan Cooke, Director of Policy, Communications and External Affairs at CIWM, said the institution is pleased to welcome Minister Hardy to the Congress.

"Her attendance underlines the vital and increasingly significant role that professional resources and waste sector services play in delivering economic, social and environmental benefits in the UK and beyond," Cooke said.

He described the London event in expansive terms: "The Congress in London provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together policymakers, businesses, city and municipal leaders, and waste and resource professionals from the UK, Europe and around the world to share knowledge, learn from international best practice and identify practical approaches to accelerate progress towards better resource use and circular economies."

A once-in-a-generation claim is standard congress rhetoric. A 30-year gap since the last UK hosting does most of the work of proving it.

What to watch on 11 November

The keynote gives the sector its clearest read yet on ministerial priorities for the reform programme — recycling, packaging, waste tracking and enforcement — delivered on the same day COP31 marks Zero Waste. What Hardy commits to on that stage, and to which deadlines, is the marker to track.