Environmental fair themed ‘Opportunities for Waste Management’

The ninth annual Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF) is set to be hosted at The Venetian, from March 31 to April 2. “Waste Management” will be the focus of this year’s MIECF activities.
Themed “Green Economy – Opportunities for Waste Management,” the fair aims to serve as a multilateral platform to enhance cooperation on eco-friendly commerce and technology in the Pearl River Delta, as well as in international markets. It will feature various activities such as an industry networking session, seminars and presentations, and technical visits to promote the growth of the green industry.
Raymond Tam, director of the Environmental Protection Bureau  said yesterday at MIECF’s press conference that the city will continually organize ‘green events’ to “put forward a green economy.”
The three-day fair, hosted by the local government, and coordinated by the Environmental Protection Bureau and the Macao  Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), has attracted over 450 exhibitors from around 20 countries and regions to participate and showcase their products and services, with 92 exhibitors coming from the Pearl River Delta and 21 prime exhibitors from leading environmental protection enterprises.
Over 50 environmental experts, mostly from Portuguese-speaking countries, will hold talks in a series of sessions; namely, “Zero Waste and High Efficiency”, “Turning Green into Gold”, “From Waste to Resources and Rewards”, “Building with Less”, “Green Chemical Forum – Treatment of Chemical Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste”, and “Pan Pearl River Delta Region (PPRD) Session – Solid Waste Management and Policies and Technology in the Pan Pearl River Delta Region” in the venue which spans an area of 16,900 square meters.
Irene Lau, executive director of IPIM, said that the fair’s focus is on ‘recovering waste  and creating more opportunities.’
“We are in the Pearl River Delta and we’re dealing with a lot of waste […] from food, buildings, construction. How to kind of rescue them, how to put them together […] and create more opportunities, that is our focus,” expressed Lau.
Moreover, she claimed the budget for the event has stood at around MOP25  million  since the fifth edition of MIECF, although services have been improved “a lot”.
“We hope to keep it up but I’m confident we can maintain the same by not [increasing] expenses,” she emphasized.
Last year, the MIECF Green Showcase attracted more than 9,600 visitors over three days, while more than 3,600 people from nine countries attended the forum. Staff reporter