Rising populations and increased industrialization keep accelerating the threat to sustainable waste management. Recycling by mechanical sorting is inaccurate, time-consuming, and costly. Optical technologies can bring support and significant improvements both in sorting processes and waste management. Photonics solutions can enable classifying of wide range of materials as well as complex materials. Alongside with opportunities for individual labelling and laser marking photonics can empower recycling automation in the increasing waste stream. This meeting will bring together the end-users and photonics supply chain to discuss photonics solutions and how to accelerate their adoption into practice.