Title of the practice : Electronic waste processing initiative for local development
The investigated good practice is giving a two-dimensional solution for the economic and social problems in a less developed rural area of our Region. Namely, it gives an organisational solution for the local unemployment on the one hand, and an environmental one on the other.
The core issue of the good practice is dealing with the circular economy as it aims at processing and further usage of electronic waste. By the conscious utilization of worn out electronic parts, it gives economic value for local community.
Practically, the good practice is aimed at developing a small factory for electronic waste re-utilization (secondary raw material production). The factory plans to process 200+ tons of waste per year with employing 10+ workplaces.
The organisational way of the good practice is unique as it is currently developed through a combination of non- and for-profit form of entrepreneurship. The owner of the good practice is Ete Social Cooperative, which is a quite new form of entrepreneurship in Hungary. As such, it is a good and innovative example of
- Marketable self- and community management
- Combination of economic goals with social and environmental issues
- Over the community organisation aspect, it has strong job creation effect
- Making a bridge between the traditional profit-oriented and non-profit organisations
- Through its huge local development potential, it is a good way of solving the problem of public employment
The good practice is driven by the local municipality, so it tends to be an effective joint initiative of a public authority and the local enterprise.
Evidence of success (results achieved)
The main results are expected from 2019, namely:
- Economic value production
- Job creation (decreasing rural unemployment with diversification of local economy)
The already achieved results are:
- Community awareness raising on circular economy
- Effective community management
- Economic value production without former economic resources
Difficulties encountered/ lessons learned The difficulties (mostly potential ones) in the development phase are:
- Completely new economic activity in the area (no experienced workforce)
- Needed additional public resources
- Difficulties of cooperation
Potential for learning or transfer The main transferable issues are as follows:
- How to redefine the economic potential of a given territory
- Management opportunities of a rural area
- Potential of circular economy in rural development
