CDE’s CIRCLE Symposium to Tackle PFAS Contamination
Balancing the demands of global infrastructure growth with the urgent call for environmental responsibility has become one of the great challenges of our era. Rising to meet it, wet processing pioneer CDE is setting the stage for CIRCLE 2026, a major waste recycling symposium in Brussels on 7th and 8th May 2026.
The event promises to be a watershed moment for circular economy innovation, uniting experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to address one of the most pressing environmental crises of our time: PFAS contamination.
A call to action in the heart of Europe
CIRCLE isn’t just another industry event. Designed as a platform for collaboration and innovation, it aims to reshape how the world perceives and manages waste. The two-day symposium will gather a diverse line-up of materials processors, technology experts, legislators, academics, and environmental policymakers, all determined to drive systemic change.
CDE Business Development Director Darren Eastwood captured the spirit of the event perfectly: “CIRCLE is a call to action. By convening global decision-makers in the beating heart of EU policymaking, the symposium will provide a truly collaborative platform to accelerate the pace of change in waste recycling and help rewrite the narrative around waste for a more circular future.”
Eastwood revealed that CDE will also unveil a first-of-its-kind solution for PFAS soil remediation, a technological breakthrough that could redefine how the industry confronts one of the most persistent and toxic pollutants on Earth.
Confronting the ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic compounds used in thousands of everyday products, from non-stick cookware to firefighting foams. Their chemical stability means they hardly degrade in nature, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” Today, PFAS contamination has become a global environmental crisis, infiltrating soils, water systems, and even the human bloodstream. Regulators are tightening standards across the EU and beyond, and companies are under pressure to adopt cleaner technologies to stay compliant.
This growing urgency sets the stage for CIRCLE 2026. By placing PFAS remediation at its core, the symposium underscores the industry’s responsibility not only to innovate but to protect public health and ecosystems.
A headline speaker who changed environmental law
In a major coup for the event, CDE announced that Robert Bilott, the environmental attorney who exposed the catastrophic scale of PFAS pollution, will headline the symposium. Known as “DuPont’s worst nightmare,” Bilott’s landmark legal battle revealed the widespread contamination caused by chemical giants, transforming environmental accountability worldwide.
A partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Bilott will share insights from his 20-year fight against DuPont, a case that inspired his acclaimed book Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against Dupont and the feature film Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo.
His appearance at CIRCLE promises to bring legal, ethical, and practical perspectives together in one powerful discussion. As Bilott has often emphasised: “PFAS contamination isn’t just a legal issue; it’s a human issue that affects every living thing on this planet.”
Pioneering technology for a cleaner future
CDE’s commitment to sustainable innovation is long established. For more than three decades, the company’s wet processing technologies have transformed complex waste streams into valuable resources. Today, its soil washing systems and water treatment solutions are proving crucial in PFAS management. By removing pollutants from contaminated soils and allowing up to 80% of waste material to be safely reused, CDE’s systems are helping industries make tangible progress towards circularity.
But the company’s ambitions don’t stop there. CDE’s Eunan Kelly, a material recovery expert, highlighted the company’s ongoing research and future focus: “CDE is continually demonstrating that effective soil washing is a powerful approach to tackling PFAS contamination. We’re not stopping at partial remediation. At this symposium, we’ll share fresh insights into the progress we’re making, alongside customers who are pioneering new strategies to treat contaminated waste.”
CDE’s goal is nothing short of total remediation, eliminating PFAS not only from soil but from the entire treatment process. That means developing modular, scalable systems capable of achieving complete decontamination while maximising material recovery. CIRCLE 2026 will mark the public debut of this next-generation solution.
Shaping the global conversation on sustainability
CIRCLE’s venue in Brussels is no coincidence. As the epicentre of European policymaking, it’s the ideal location to bridge the gap between technology and regulation. With the European Green Deal pushing for net-zero emissions by 2050, collaboration between engineers, lawmakers, and environmental leaders has never been more critical.
The symposium will feature a series of expert panels, live demonstrations, and interactive workshops, focusing on key topics such as:
- PFAS detection and removal technologies
- Circular economy policy frameworks
- Sustainable construction and waste recovery
- Water management innovations
- Future regulation and compliance strategies
Delegates will gain first-hand insight into CDE’s ESG strategy, which aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050 and reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. With 16 consecutive Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards to its name, CDE’s leadership in both innovation and governance is well established.
A global company with local impact
Headquartered in Northern Ireland, CDE operates across five global regions, with offices in Texas, Europe, the Middle East, and Australasia. The company’s footprint spans the construction, demolition, mining, and industrial sands sectors, supporting partners and clients in transforming waste into valuable raw materials. CDE’s ethos, “creating our best world, a ton at a time,” reflects its belief that sustainability is built from the ground up, literally.
By co-creating tailored solutions with customers, CDE continues to prove that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand. The upcoming CIRCLE symposium will reinforce this message, showing how global cooperation can unlock the full potential of resource recovery.
Towards a circular tomorrow
With Robert Bilott’s participation, a host of international experts, and the unveiling of a ground-breaking PFAS remediation solution, CIRCLE 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark event for the industry. It represents a rare convergence of science, law, policy, and engineering, all focused on one goal: building a cleaner, more resilient planet.
CDE’s Darren Eastwood summed it up best: “With Robert Bilott headlining, CIRCLE is gearing up to be an unmissable opportunity to stay ahead of regulatory shifts, discover breakthrough technologies, and connect with high-level peers shaping the industry. Together we’ll reshape the future of recycling and create a truly circular economy.”
