From November 4 to 7, 2025, Ecomondo – Europe’s leading expo for ecological transition – will host the initiative “RAEE-Start: Switch on the Change”, a campaign dedicated to the collection of small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and to promoting proper recycling practices.
Visitors, exhibitors, and stakeholders will be able to bring their unused electronic devices – such as smartphones, headphones, tablets, and small household appliances – to a special collection point set up at the Rimini Expo Centre.
The initiative, promoted by Ecomondo in cooperation with Herambiente Group (through the Scart art project), the WEEE Coordination Centre (CdC RAEE) and the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), aims to raise awareness about the importance of recovering critical raw materials and reducing the dispersion of e-waste, which still represents an under-exploited waste stream in Italy.
The campaign’s symbol will be a remarkable artistic installation by Scart: a five-meter-wide and three-meter-high wall entirely covered with small WEEE items, made with recycled materials supplied by Aliplast. The artwork is designed to surprise and inspire reflections on the values of the circular economy.
According to data from the WEEE Coordination Centre, in the first eight months of 2025, Italy collected more than 236,000 tonnes of household e-waste, marking a 2% increase compared to the previous year. However, small WEEE still accounts for only 15% of the total potential collection.
The “RAEE-Start” initiative anticipates the 2025 European Week for Waste Reduction, taking place from November 22 to 30, dedicated this year precisely to e-waste. It invites citizens, institutions, and companies to take action, promote awareness, and become key drivers of change.
We’re proud to announce that the EWAsTER Project will be also featured in the official programme of Europe’s leading green technology fair — the 28th edition of ECOMONDO in Rimini!
📅 Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025
🕓 Time: 16:30 – 18:00
📍 Location: Sala Tulipano, Hall Est – Ecomondo Fair, Rimini
💡 Session Chairs:
Massimo Sbriscia & Lorenzo Federiconi – Marche Region (ITA)
Our session will explore innovation and cooperation in e-waste management through the Interreg Euro-MED EWAsTER Project, featuring:
🔹 The INTERREG EURO-MED Programme 2021–27 – Guillaume Javourez, Interreg Euro-MED Joint Secretariat
🔹 EU, National & Regional WEEE Frameworks – Matteo Giantomassi, ATO2 – Ancona (ITA)
🔹 EWAsTER Main Outputs – Marin Zver, Environmental Research Institute ORZ (SI)
🔹 Pilot Actions:
• WEEE RE-USE – Alisa Gekic & Majda Penava, LINK Entrepreneurial Center (BH)
• 0WEEE PROCURE – Martina Perugini, HORT / Marche Region (ITA)
• WEEE BEHAVE – Enrico Anghileri, UCPB (ITA)
🔁 Let’s rethink electronic waste and accelerate the circular economy transition together!
You can register for attending the EWAsTER session here: https://ewaster.interreg-euro-med.eu/events/ewaster-at-ecomondo-2025-rimini/
