Editorial
We extend a warm welcome to all our readers in our 4th WaysTUP! newsletter.
In this issue, following the project’s progress, you can find out details about the “Join the loop campaign” in which you are all invited to participate. We also host an interview of Laura Temmerman of IMEC giving us details on the WaysTUP! citizens’ engagement plans. We proudly present the HOOP project, an additional WaysTUP! sister project. The WaysTUP! circular presents project and other circular news, whilst a selection of forthcoming events is once more included in the relative section.
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Project progressLaunching the “Join the loop” campaign…
WaysTUP! is continuously progressing and the time for citizens to get actively involved has arrived. WaysTUP! follows a behavioural change approach for the collection of urban biowaste and acceptance of biowaste derived products with citizens and with the goal to:
(1) Improve the current perception of citizens and local communities on urban biowaste as a local resource.
(2) Enhance the active participation of citizens in the separate collection of urban biowaste.
(3) Improve customer acceptance of urban biowaste derived products, including food and feed ingredients.
To this end, three pilot cities and namely Athens (Greece), Valencia and Barcelona (Spain) offer the opportunity through a special programme to citizens and businesses to actively take part in the project. Several different informative events have already been organized and more specifically:
Athens
On the 8th of October, the international ecolabel Green Key represented by Natassa Antonopoulou, coordinator of the program, participated in a conference organized by Thassos Hoteliers Association and the Federation of Rental Rooms of Thassos to tourism entrepreneurs.
Hoteliers were informed about the WaysTUP! project focusing on its philosophy and goals.
Barcelona
On October 7, 2021, the AMB presented the WaysTUP! project within the space of the “Environmental Seminars” that this same public Administration organizes periodically and whose function is to inspire the exchange of information, experiences and strategies that may be useful for the environmental services of metropolitan municipalities. Among the objectives of the WaysTUP! project is the ability to transform biowaste into value-added bioproducts other than compost and energy and encourage citizens to make a good segregation of organic matter from municipal waste.
Valencia
During its participation at ECOFIRA 2021, the SAV team had the opportunity to present one of the WaysTUP! pilots, transforming coffee grounds into valuable bioproducts, to the President of the Valencia Government, Ximo Puig the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency, and Ecological Transition, Mireia Mollá and the Vice Mayor of Valencia Sergi Campillo. SAV, in charge of the “FOOD & FEED” pilot, has already started to deploy bins in restaurants and the first fermentation and hydrolysis bioprocesses together with Biopolis.
In parallel to these events, a survey to assess citizens’ knowledge and habits regarding organic waste sorting is now running in the aforementioned pilot cities. The survey looks into the best ways to engage with citizens to improve the bioeconomy.
More information on the Join the loop!!! campaign and activities organised will soon be available on the WaysTUP! website!
Interview with Laura Temmerman
How is biowaste as a resource considered by citizens and what is their understanding of circular economy in practice? At the beginning of this year, IMEC, together with our local partners AMB, HSPN, SUST and SAV, conducted a survey study in three pilot cities of the WaysTUP! project. In total, 439 citizens of Athens, Barcelona and Valencia filled in our online survey. We observed that the majority (60%) of citizens are aware of the concept of the circular economy. Citizens also believe that they have a role to play in the Circular Economy and indicated that they were willing to take such a role, which is a very encouraging result of this study. However, they do report that a circular behaviour such as biowaste sorting is still not convenient at the moment, and that they overall don’t trust their local entities to actually recycle their biowaste. Nonetheless, the respondents appeared very aware of the value of biowaste and of the missed opportunity that non-sorting would represent. All in all, the results of this first study for the WaysTUP! project are quite promising and show that most citizens are aware and willing to engage with more circular behaviours such as biowaste sorting. This is why we want to support them through our “Join the loop” campaign.
What is the focus of the Join the loop campaign?The focus of the Join the loop campaign is on biowaste sorting. We want to engage citizens and businesses of the city of Athens, Barcelona, and Valencia in our Join the Loop campaign to support them in embracing a more circular lifestyle, with a specific focus on biowaste sorting. The goal is to improve the participant’s perception of biowaste as a resource and to enhance their participation in selective biowaste sorting. The campaign will predominantly take place online: citizens and businesses can subscribe to our program, and we will send them bi-weekly emails with information on biowaste, on their community and other tips and tricks regarding sorting. In return, we ask citizens and businesses that take part in the campaign to fill in a short survey (10 min) periodically. In each city, three participants have the chance to win a 50€ gift card by answering a question at the end of the survey. Anyone interested can fill in the first survey to register here.
Which cities are taking part and what types of activities are being planned?There are three cities that are actively taking part in our Join the Loop campaign: Athens (coordinated by SUST and HSPN), Barcelona (coordinated by AMB) and Valencia (coordinated by SAV). While the campaign is mainly online, activities will also be organized in real life, such as workshops, meetings, and other events. These activities are just starting to take place, and more information will soon be displayed on our website, where they will be regularly updated.
For more information about the campaign, you can email Laura Temmerman (IMEC): laura.temmerman@imec.be
Sister Project
WaysTUP! is happy to present yet another sister project, innovating on waste management schemes to create new value chains from urban biowaste. Meet HOOP!
The HOOP project – Vitalise Europe’s Urban Bioeconomy – supports 8 lighthouse cities and regions in developing large-scale urban circular bioeconomy initiatives that will focus on recovering valuable resources from urban biowaste and wastewater to make bio-based products.
The HOOP Urban Circular Bioeconomy Hub will create an online platform to foster knowledge exchange and replication in cities and regions across Europe.
You can find out more here.
The WaysTUP! circular
TUC Pilot V2.0 of the “fruits” of its research!The Technical University of Crete completed the second field testing in August 2021, where tomatoes were cultivated with and without biochar amendment as a soil improver and biostimulant. The results were very satisfactory. Tomato yield increased significantly. More specifically, sewage sludge biochar treatment resulted in the production of 50.7 kg of tomatoes, whilst control treatment resulted in a significantly lower production of 17.2 kg of tomatoes.
ROOTS common Position Paper publishedROOTS – CirculaR pOlicies for changing the biOwasTe Systems, is a collaboration of WaysTUP!, SCALIBUR, ValueWaste and HOOP in the field of biowaste valorization. Their aim is to promote innovative solutions for the European Circular Economy and identify the regulatory barriers that are still blocking a more sustainable future. A common Position Paper has recently been published with recommendations on four key topics: Recycling targets and treatment plants, Waste and by-products, Biopesticides and Insects for animal feed.
Optimisation of MSW conversion to energy using AI and spectroscopyMunicipal Solid Waste is significantly heterogeneous, having large variability in its physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Waste to energy production poses significant challenges in optimising conversion processes. A US group led by Lehigh University in Pennsylvania is developing a technology combining AI and spectroscopy to analyse municipal solid waste in-situ and in real-time, paving the way to increased waste-to-bioenergy production.
The BBI JU successor The European Parliament has recently voted for the establishment of Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), the successor of BBI JU for the 2021-2027 period. This new partnership represented by the European Commission, and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) will build on the achievements of the BBI JU but also scale up its contribution to the European Green Deal climate targets. Collaboration between the scientific community and industry will be fostered so as to scale up technologies leading to industrial deployment.
Stats for chatsWorld Food Day is held every year on October the 16th. This day is about recognising the importance of ensuring a global sustainable food supply. Food waste is a worldwide problem whilst over 800 million people are today malnourished. Food waste has a severe impact on the environment, the economy, food security and nutrition.
Following the WaysTUP! “Join the loop campaign”, here are some facts about food waste:
There is thus a dire need to rethink consumption habits and focus on food waste sorting and valorisation in order to close nutrient cycles.
SOURCES: EUROPEAN COMMISSION & EARTH.org
Forthcoming events
2nd International Conference on Biomolecules and Bioeconomy
4-5 November 2021, HYBRID
The Conference will bring together local, national and international European Commission experts as well as members of industry, to address current opportunities, approaches and challenges in establishing a vibrant European bioeconomy and allied programs in higher education. This first day will in particular provide tools for effectively developing and funding projects within the biomolecules arena. The presentations will be delivered in French or English with a simultaneous translation in the respective language. more
Circular Economy Hotspot Catalonia
5-18 November 2021, BARCELONA
Europe’s leading circular economy event will be held on 5-18 November. Hosted in Barcelona, Circular Economy Hotspot Catalonia combines guided tours to local companies and a Congress exploring the most pressing issues and solutions. The 2021 edition is built on a framework of 6 tracks: Circular design, Closing the circle of materials, components, and products, Bioeconomy, Industry 4.0, Research and innovation and Inclusive circularity, which together will provide a comprehensive view of the current state of circular economy solutions in both Catalonia and Europe. more
16th European Bioplastics Conference
30 November – 1 December 2021, BERLIN
The 16th European Bioplastics Conference organised by european bioplastics will be held on 30 November and 1 December 2021 in Berlin or online. Conference attendees can look forward to a variety of speakers from politics, stakeholders, science and organisations. The Bioplastics Conference will run a parallel exhibition dedicated exclusively to bioplastics, where companies may demonstrate their products and services, increase brand awareness, build new business relationships, and gain instant market feedback. more
International Conference on Green Food, Biowaste Valorisation & Circular Economy 2021
2-3 December 2021, ONLINE
This event will run virtually, and it aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Green Food, Biowaste Valorisation and Circular Economy. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted. more
2nd International Conference Strategies toward Green Deal Implementation Water, Raw Materials & Energy
8-10 December 2021, ONLINE
The Conference, organised by the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences Institute aims to present the issue of climate change and ways to prevent it with innovative solutions (technological, environmental, economic, and social) that can be implemented under the Green Deal Strategies. Amongst the main thematic areas of the Conference are Climate Change and Strategies toward Climate Neutrality, Circular Economy and Bioeconomy, Ecosystems and Biodiversity. more
IS4CE CONFERENCE: FUTURE DIRECTIONS
15-17 March 2022, HYBRID
The 2nd Conference of the International Society for the Circular Economy, hosted by the Linkoping University in Sweden will be held on March 15th – 17th 2022. The starting points for the IS4CE conference, are collaboration, inclusiveness and systems thinking in an emerging era of circular economy. The overall aim of this Conference is thus to achieve increased collaboration, to generate more system wide solutions and create rich avenues for research. more
Join usThe WaysTUP! project counts 26 partners, each expert in their field, collaborating to transform urban bio-waste into valuable end products.
Our experts will be more than happy to answer to your questions or provide more info on the project.
Project Coordinator: Belén Miranda, innova@sav-lavega.com
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