Med4Waste conducted its final event on "decentralized organic waste management in the Mediterranean"

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From the 24th to the 26th of October 2023, more than 200, on-site and online, participants from 23 countries from the Mediterranean and beyond, came together in Cagliari, Italy to exchange know-how, experiences and lessons learned regarding organic waste management from two major EU-funded projects in which MIO-ECSDE is a key partner: Med4Waste and Water and Environment Support (WES) in the ENI Neighbourhood South Region. The event fostered a collaborative environment, encouraging vibrant exchanges and the showcase of best practices to achieve sustainable organic waste management systems in the region. 

The 3-day event constituted the epilogue of the ENI CBC Med funded project, Med4Waste, featuring its key findings, recommendations and innovative solutions transferable in various municipalities and different contexts and also one of the many regional study visits of the WES project. 

The event was inaugurated by Marco Pocu, Councilor for Environmental Protection of the Sardinia Region who welcomed the policy makers (ministry officials), local authorities, the private sector, NGOs, researchers and other stakeholders who gathered for the joint event and highlighted that the host region has a lot to show for itself; from Italy’s worst performing region in waste management in the 00s to one of the best-performing islands in the Mediterranean, specifically in regards to separate collection of organic waste. 

Alessandra Sensi, Head of Sector, Environment and Blue Economy, Union for the Mediterranean in her opening remarks stressed the importance of such regional meetings for the green transition of the waste sector in the Mediterranean while acknowledging the support of both projects to the implementation of the Union for the Mediterranean 2030GreenerMed Agenda. Silvia Zedda, Head of the Authorizing Unit, Managing Authority of ENI CBC Med Programme highlighted the remarkable outcomes of the Med4Waste project and its capitalization and synergizing efforts to promote better waste management governance. 

Following a rich agenda of presentations, workshops and study visits, the participants were updated on the EU and Mediterranean policy context on waste management and circular economy, the Med4Waste outputs, such as the Med4ZeroWaste Online Course to support waste management practitioners in learning more about Circular Economy and Zero Waste Strategies and waste management Catalogue of good and successful practices on waste management with experiences from other ENI CBC Med projects, the Sardinian experience up close (including fiscal incentives, infrastructure development, green public procurement), and numerous Mediterranean good practices and case studies for replication on decentralised organic waste management. 

The three study visits proved to be a truly rewarding experience for the onsite trainees. These visits offered them direct interaction opportunities with local policymakers, entrepreneurs, and community members. Through these interactions, they gained valuable insights into the operations of the Arborea municipal solid waste sorting and treatment plant, a Municipal Collection Center in Calgiari that complements the city’s door-to-door scheme in place and aims to increase separate waste collection and promotes environmental awareness; the Esposito Group's Ecocenter that processes beach waste (particularly Posidonia), recovers every single grain of sand and returns it to the beach of origin while recovering the organic fraction present and making it suitable for re-use in agriculture or green building; and the Municipal Collection Center, Ecocentro Sant’Elia, a tipping point for traditional recycling collection to more creative and inclusive solutions. 

The closing Med4Waste conference and the overall event were considered an inspiring opportunity for dialogue and mutual enrichment of knowledge and prerequisites for effective organic waste management that will eventually lead to the identification of priority policy measures and implementation of good practices at the local, national and Mediterranean levels. 

Find the conference agenda here.

The presentations of the conference are listed below.  

 

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