First Alumni Reunion of the Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy

The degree program, led by the Chair of Waste Management and Circular Economy at the institute of the same name, has been serving students since 1999 and has produced a considerable number of graduates over the years.

Originally offered as a Diplom program in Waste Management and Contaminated Site Treatment and later as a Master’s program with the same name, it now provides comprehensive training in these subject areas as the Master’s program in Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency.

It was therefore time to strengthen the connections among the various alumni cohorts, initiate an effective exchange of experiences between former students and the current academic staff, and reminisce about the past. The first gathering of this kind, organized by the institute-affiliated Forum for Applied Waste Management and Circular Economy e. V., took place on August 20, 2026, at the institute’s location in Pirna-Copitz.

The graduates in attendance spanned the years 2000 through 2021, enabling a cross-generational exchange—though there is still a fierce debate over which graduating class was the best.

The participants at the alumni gathering expressed a desire for many more events of this kind in the future. As a result, official alumni gatherings are now expected to take place at the Institute every two years, with the next one scheduled for the summer of 2028.