The project aims at fighting Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) to be a polluter of freshwater, groundwater and finally seawater, through its conversion on an asset by working at following levels:
- Promotion new eco-innovative business models in the demand and procurement side
- Promotion of better citizens behaviour, increasing waste recovery and reducing the number of WEEE currently affecting the environment
- Promoting new eco-innovative business models to transform the waste into a resource, by providing a second live to WEEE
During 2025, all partners will start testing the 3 pre-identified innovative solutions in their countries.
Innovative solution 1:
WEEE PROCURE: The objective of this pilot is to test new eco-innovative business models based on the eco-renting of EEE. Eco-renting of electronic equipment can be an efficient procurement system for many sectors affecting MED, such as the tourism sector, the public administration, or the general private sector.
The objective of this pilot is to define a procurement framework in cooperation between the demand side and the offer side, which allows the creation of a new eco-business achieving:
– The procurer gets better prices for an always updated technology, without the generation of WEEE.
– The seller can create a new business line, including equipment maintenance and reselling of equipment through the enlargement of the usability in a second live.
Implementation of the pilot action WEEE PROCURE will be tested in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Bulgaria. During 12 months, partners the Municipality of Neum, Marche and UBBSLA will gather data from demand and offer side, creating the legal framework for the launching of the tenders, which will be done outside the project funding. The effect will be monitored 12 months.
Innovative solution 2:
WEEE BEHAVE: This solution seeks to increase the amount of e-waste collected and delivered to new businesses, assuring a constant source of material, and a long-term sustainability. Increasing the awareness of citizens from the early school is as much important as increasing the awareness of the policy representatives at local or regional level.
Several campaigns will be launched simultaneously on different partners areas by partners Aradippou, Rethymno, UBBSLA, UCPB and RSU, covering:
– At schools, fun learning activities about recycling WEEE, will move students (and their families) to learn about the importance of WEEE circularity. Additionally, a competition on WEEE recycling will be promoted.
– At City Halls by sharing and informing about existing best practices in WEEE management, together with economic, social and environmental benefits.
Implementation of the pilot action WEEE BEHAVE will be tested in Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain. It is expected to reach 100 students and 50 policy makers through direct training, awareness actions and competitions.
Innovative solution 3:
WEEE REUSE: This solution promotes the creation of new business models for reuse of plastic and providing second life to e-waste, with a focus on creating jobs for vulnerable individuals. WEEE REUSE pilot action will promote the creation of new business models for reuse of plastic and WEEE, with a special focus on social enterprises in the WEEE sector.
Social enterprises, NGOS and public institutions have started to promote the reuse and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) as a way to provide employment for vulnerable individuals (such as persons with disabilities) or vulnerable social groups.
WEEE has large potential to develop rural companies, or social business models when profitability is diluted to achieve more social and responsible objectives. WEEE recycling businesses are proving to be able to introduce higher rates of disable people, and other vulnerable groups, than other sectors.
Implementation of the pilot action WEEE REUSE will be tested in Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia. Partners PACT, LINK and ORZ will promote the creation or reconversion of business towards WEEE second life, plastic reuse, or WEEE reparation, especially social enterprises.
After implementing the innovative pilot action, each partner will be in charge of pilot results monitoring and transferring the results of the pilot into a policy document, converting the Draft Action Plan into a final Action Plan at local or regional level.
SUCCESS!
