Tool 3 Solution Factsheets eWAsTER

WEEE BEHAVE

Solution Leader: Michael Panayiotis, ARADIPPOU, Cyprus

Participating Territories: Cyprus, Italy (UCPB), Greece, Spain, Bulgaria

Partners: ARADIPPOU CY, RSU MALAGA ES, UCPB IT, UBBSLA BG, RETHYMNO GR

Date Completed: 2026

WP2 Report Reference: WEEE BEHAVE WP2 Final Report

Executive Summary

Problem Addressed: WEEE BEHAVE addresses low collection rates in municipal areas by engaging schools and households through behavior change campaigns. Across the pilots, the common issue is not the absence of collection systems, but the insufficient activation of citizens, schools, and local institutions around correct WEEE disposal and prevention practices . The solution responds to this challenge by combining awareness, education, and collection-oriented action in schools and city-level environments. Its added value lies in using children and school communities as multipliers toward households, while connecting educational work with public authorities and authorized WEEE management channels.

Core Innovation: The core innovation of WEEE BEHAVE is the integration of school-based educational activities with competition, gamification, and links to municipal or authorized collection systems. Rather than relying on information campaigns alone, the solution creates a peer-to-family communication mechanism in which pupils become active messengers of proper WEEE management . The pilots show that this innovation is flexible in form but stable in logic. Competitions, games, workshops, school campaigns, city games, family outreach, and municipal visibility all serve the same core purpose: to convert awareness into measurable participation and, where possible, into collected WEEE.

Key Results

WEEE BEHAVE addresses low collection rates in municipal areas by engaging schools and households through behavior change campaigns. Across the pilots, the common issue is not the absence of collection systems, but the insufficient activation of citizens, schools, and local institutions around correct WEEE disposal and prevention practices .
The solution responds to this challenge by combining awareness, education, and collection-oriented action in schools and city-level environments. Its added value lies in using children and school communities as multipliers toward households, while connecting educational work with public authorities and authorized WEEE management channels The pilots exceeded the common target values by a wide margin for school participation, student engagement, and teacher involvement, which confirms that WEEE BEHAVE is highly effective as a school-based mobilisation model. The results indicate strong educational reach and a capacity to activate large numbers of pupils and schools in different territorial settings
Collection performance is also positive, but the revised draft suggests that local KPIs may not always have been counted with identical scope across territories. Some pilots included broader public interaction or multi-phase campaigns, while others focused on schools only, so the aggregate should be treated as a consolidated project value rather than a strictly comparable sum of identical local indicators 

KPI	Target	Achieved	Achievement	Status
Participating students	500	4218	843.6%	Exceeded
Student engagements	250	2294	917.6%	Exceeded
WEEE collected	1000	3150	315%	Exceeded
Participating classes	50	171	342%	Exceeded
Teacher involvement	50	204	408%	Exceeded

Target Adopters

School systems and education boards working with municipalities or regions — High fit, direct implementation partner.
Municipal and regional waste management authorities — High fit, core delivery channel.
Municipal associations and intermediary territorial organizations coordinating multiple schools or municipalities — Medium fit, policy monitoring support.
NGOs / environmental associations — Medium fit, awareness campaigns.
EPR schemes and circular economy networks interested in prevention and behavioral change actions — Low fit, co-funding potential.

Transferability Factors

Age-appropriate educational design Educational activities were more effective when interactive, practical, and tailored to children; this improved understanding of WEEE, retention, and active participation
Competition and recognition. Competitions between classes or schools created visibility, momentum inside schools, and stronger participation
Gamification and creative formats Games, city activities, mascots, arts-based tasks, and playful workshops improved memorability and behavioral activation
Children as multipliers toward households Students influenced family behavior and extended the campaign beyond the classroom
Strong coordination among schools, municipalities, and waste actors The solution works best when roles are clearly assigned and coordination is maintained through dedicated liaisons or steering mechanisms

Key Enabling Conditions

School participation
Municipality or region support
Cultural fit and local acceptance
Link to legal WEEE collection route
Dedicated coordination capacity

Main Barriers and Mitigation

Organizational and scheduling problems — Mitigate with train-the-trainers logic, early scheduling, clear school contacts.
Consideration of batteries as WEEE — Mitigate by educational clarification and explicit guidance.
Reaction due to political issues — Mitigate by political or institutional endorsement and formal agreements.

Transfer Readiness Timeline

Readiness Score: 83/100.
Total Timeline: 5 months.
Stakeholder Engagement: 1-2 months.
Setup Training: 1-2 months.
Pilot Implementation: 2–4 months.
Full Scale Replication: 5 months.

Source: WEEE BEHAVE WP2 Final Report | Generated: 10/04/2026 | eWAsTER D.3.4.1 Transfer Package

0WEEE PROCURE

Solution Leader: Veronica Luna, NEUM, Bosnia Herzegovina

Participating Territories: Italy (Marche), Bulgaria

Partners: UBBSLA BG, MARCHE IT

Date Completed: 2026

WP2 Report Reference: 0WEEE PROCURE WP2 Final Report

Executive Summary

Problem Addressed: The pilot addresses the challenges of traditional linear “purchase-use-dispose” models in public procurement, which often lack structured reuse networks. Key barriers include rigid public accounting systems, technical concerns regarding secure data sanitisation and a general lack of institutional experience with circular procurement.

Core Innovation: The solution focuses on a context-adapted circular transition via two main models: Circular Ownership in Italy, using technical schools as hubs to assess and refurbish decommissioned public IT assets and a Digital Exchange Platform (EESwap/TechSwap) in Bulgaria to facilitate the direct exchange, reuse, and recycling of equipment among municipalities and citizens.

Key Results

300 units screened €160 units diverted from waste 40 public entities involved and 1500 kg of estimated WEEE reduction with 5000 Eur of cost savings

KPI	Target	Achieved	Achievement	Status	Notes
Devices assessed for reuse	400	300	75%	Below	Bulgaria 50 - Italy 250
Devices refurbished or exchanged	200	160	80%	Partial	Bulgaria 10 - Italy 150
Stakeholders network	60	40	67%	Below	Italy 20 - Bulgaria 20
Estimated WEEE reduction (kg)	2250	1500	67%	Below
Cost savings for users	7500	5000	67%	Below

Target Adopters

Public administrations (national/regional/local) — High fit
Technical and vocational school systems — High fit
Circular economy business networks — Medium fit
Repair and reuse NGOs — Medium fit
Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) — Low fit

Transfer Factors for UCPB

Schools as refurbishment hubs Technical Institutes Montani and Volterra Elia integrated hardware diagnostics and SSD upgrades into the curriculum.
Selective census / interception at dual-use stage The pilot screened decommissioned units before waste classification to maximise second-life potential.
Multi-actor governance UBBSLA engaged 15 municipalities and 20 partner organisations; Italy formalised a directory of 20 repairers.

Key Enabling Conditions

Regional inventory/tracking system
Formal institutional agreements between authorities and schools
Dedicated funding for initial refurbishment hardware

Main Barriers and Mitigation

Administrative complexity in public accounting — When eco-renting was unfeasible, pilots pivoted to Circular Ownership and Digital Exchange Platforms
Logistical challenges in device collection — Adopted a selective census approach, screening devices at source to avoid collecting non-reusable hardware
Limited institutional experience — Capacity building, workshops, and legal guidance for public administrators on circular procurement

Transfer Readiness Timeline

Readiness Score: 84/100.
Total Timeline: 8 months.
Stakeholder Engagement: 1-2 months.
Setup Training: 1-2 months.
Pilot Implementation: 4–6 months.
Full Scale: 6+ months.

Source: 0WEEE PROCURE WP2 Final Report | Generated: 10/04/2026 | eWAsTER D.3.4.1 Transfer Package

WEEE REUSE

Solution Leader: Majda Penava, LINK, Bosnia Herzegovina

Participating Territories: Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia

Partners: LINK BA, ORZ SI

Date Completed: 08/04/2026

WP2 Report Reference: WEEE REUSE WP2 Final Report, 06 April 2026

Executive Summary

Problem Addressed: The WEEE REUSE pilot addresses the underdeveloped role of reuse within existing e-waste management systems in the pilot territories, where current frameworks are primarily focused on collection, recycling, and treatment rather than on extending product lifecycles. Despite increasing volumes of electronic waste, reuse and preparation-for-reuse remain marginal activities, particularly in emerging systems such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, where reuse practices are still at an early stage and lack formal integration into policy and operational frameworks

Core Innovation: The WEEE REUSE solution is innovative because it integrates circular economy practices with social inclusion, combining reuse activities such as repair, refurbishment, and repurposing with tailored employment models for vulnerable groups. Unlike traditional WEEE systems focused mainly on collection and recycling, this approach introduces reuse as a complementary and value-generating layer, including creative repurposing and safe alternatives such as deep-cleaning processes. The level of innovation can be considered moderate to high, as it builds on existing waste management structures while addressing a critical gap: the lack of operational and policy integration of reuse. It does so by linking businesses, social enterprises, and system operators into a functional reuse ecosystem.

Key Results

24,486 kg WEEE collected, 24,019 items processed, and 18 jobs created for vulnerable groups.

KPI	Target	Achieved	Achievement	Status	Notes
WEEE Collected	20,000 kg	24,486 kg	122%	Exceeded	BiH 1,004 kg; SLO 23,482 kg
Devices Collected	20,000	24,019	120%	Exceeded	BiH 1,449; SLO 22,570
Stakeholders Engaged	20	20	100%	Achieved	BiH 9; SLO 11
Jobs Created	10	18	180%	Exceeded	BiH 4; SLO 14
Revenue Generated	€3,500	€4,400	125%	Exceeded	BiH only

Target Adopters

Municipal waste management authorities and public utilities — High fit, integration of reuse into waste strategies.
Social enterprises and reuse centres — High fit, implementation of refurbishment employment models.
Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) — High fit, integration of reuse into EPR schemes.
NGOs and civil society organizations — Medium fit, community engagement support to vulnerable groups.
SMEs and circular economy business networks — Medium fit, reuse-based business model development.

Transfer Factors for UCPB

Integration of reuse with social inclusion. 18 jobs created for vulnerable groups across the pilots. For Transfer: Integrate reuse activities with employment and social programmes from the start.
Use of existing infrastructure and systems. Slovenia processed more than 20 tonnes with minimal additional costs. For Transfer: Build on existing waste systems and reuse centres instead of creating new ones.
Hands-on mentoring and business support. 9 businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully tested reuse models and generated revenue. For Transfer: Provide continuous mentoring rather than one-off training.

Key Enabling Conditions

Stakeholder cooperation among public, private, and social actors.
Access to WEEE streams.
Basic REUSE knowledge and operational capacity.
Policy support for REUSE.

Main Barriers and Mitigation

Regulatory barriers and unclear rules — Provide policy recommendations, advocacy, and technical support in understanding the rules.
Limited access to quality WEEE — Build partnerships with stakeholders, institutions, recycling yards, and private collection channels.
Low awareness and market demand — Awareness campaigns and capacity building for small businesses.

Transfer Readiness Timeline

Readiness Score: 82/100.
Total Timeline: 9 months.
Stakeholder Engagement: 1-2 months.
Setup Training: 1-2 months.
Pilot Implementation: 4–6 months.
Full Scale: 6+ months.

Source: WEEE REUSE WP2 Final Report, 06 April 2026 | Generated: 10/04/2026 | eWAsTER D.3.4.1 Transfer Package