14 examples of “Use of data and technologies to optimise systems” and 12 “Innovative models”. This is what the Interreg Europe WINPOL project is offering you to discover by browsing its newly published Good Practices Guide. This publication summarises two and half intense years of experience and knowledge sharing between several European public authorities to improve their waste management strategies by fostering the use of intelligent equipment and related practices.
Since June 2018, the WINPOL partners – composed by eight public authorities represented by the municipalities of Antwerp (BE), Drobeta Turnu Severin (RO), Heraklion (GR), the county of Mehedinti (RO), the region of Crete (GR), EMULSA (ES), Snaga (SI), ERA (MT) and ACR+ (BE) as advisory partner – have been identifying and exchanging relevant good practices to improve their local waste management strategies. Study visits, thematic seminars on three key topics, discussion with local stakeholders and peer-to-peer sessions helped increasing their knowledge regarding the use of intelligent equipment and related practices. This exercise was the aim of the project’s so-called first phase which will reach its end at the end of November.
“If the COVID-19 pandemic slightly hampered the last months of this first phase, forcing the partners to reschedule some study visits, the exchange of experience was nonetheless fruitful. The partners’ hard work just found its achievement in the publication of a Good Practices Guide. Available already in English and soon in Slovenian and Spanish, this publication gathers over 26 innovative practices collected all over Europe. They are separated into two categories: “Use of data and technologies to optimise systems” and “Innovative models” and can be explored either by geographical location or by the theme(s) associated to it. These themes cover topics as varied as feedback to citizens, civic amenity sites, fly-tipping clearance, eco-event, monitoring and decision making, etc.
While technologies and innovation offer excellent opportunities, the degree of introduction of innovative equipment and practices varies significantly from one territory to another. The WINPOL Good Practices Guide contributes to fill this gap. It is a practical tool for cities and regions looking for new and concrete approaches to minimise waste generation and reach resource efficiency. In an even more interesting way, those practices also highlight that innovation does not always have to rhyme with ICT or big data. Sometimes, a good old carton box (as used in Styria to boost reuse of small items) works wonders and might even achieve better results than an app!” commented Francesco Lembo, Managing Director of ACR+.
The Good Practices can also be consulted online and are part of the Interreg Europe database which gathers over a thousand of inspiring solution to improve regional policies.
Another milestone of WINPOL’s first phase is the elaboration of six local Action Plans. For each territory targeted by the project, two or three practices of the Good Practices Guide have been selected and a plan has been drafted to transfer them to the local context. This is how a waste collection monitoring platform will be developed by the Municipality of Heraklion (GR) after learning more about the waste data centre managed by LIPOR (PT) and the waste collection weighing system used by EMULSA in the city of Gijón (ES).
Following the start of the second phase this December, project partners will have two years, until November 2022, to implement these actions to concretely improve their performances regarding waste management and sustainability.
Have a look at the WINPOL Good Practices Guide here.
Example of Good Practice
Download the press release here.
