News

On 11 May in Milan, the two-day PLASTECO project conference, funded by INETERREG Europe and the European Union Regional Development Fund came to conclusion. Widespread plastic pollution requires an effective response from EU regions to tackle the growing environmental challenges. PLASTECO has supported the participating territories to take the necessary steps to move towards a "new plastics economy" in line with the "European Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy".

The PLASTECO project involves organisations from 8 countries (Greece, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia), which have gained new knowledge together over the last three years by learning best practices from the organisations represented in the project. One of the results achieved is the developed Action Plans. For example, the association “Baltijas krasti” has developed an action plan to map and assess the impact of coastal ecosystem services within the framework of PLASTECO. The synergy with the LIFE Waste to Resources IP with PLASTECO is important, as the action plan developed by the association “Baltijas krasti” is currently being implemented in the LIFE Waste to Resources IP project.The conference opened with a presentation on waste recovery and the circular economy in the Lombardy region (Italy), key targets and future challenges and possible solutions. Whereas, Professor Mario Grosso shared the opportunities and challenges in plastic waste management. For example, in collaboration with industry partners, Corepla owns a new pilot plant in a suburb of Milan, testing the sorting of advanced plastics using different technologies. Whereas, WiSort is an innovative start-up developing high-tech and software solutions to improve the quality of waste while optimising the user experience. The company's main product is an automated sorting bin that works using image recognition and an artificial intelligence algorithm. A prototype is currently installed at Malpensa Airport, but it could be moved for further testing. As the professor pointed out, people pay attention to the packaging of goods, so further improvements in environmental protection measures require the use of recycled polymers, which are now allowed for use of up to 100% PET in Italy.

Ms Stephanie Lizak from the Bavarian Environmental Technology Cluster (Germany) shared her experience at the conference. The development of a draft decision to submit the established action plan to the City Council and the future development of Augsburg as a low-waste city are important for the establishment of a stakeholder working group to achieve a more successful outcome. One of the intermediate results was the introduction and testing of a pilot project for a deposit system of reusable cups for use at the Augsburg Cup for cold drinks at events, thus reducing CO2 by 75% on the condition that 1 cup is used 15 times compared to 300 single-use plastic cups. And Green Public Procurement is another activity that will help you buy goods and materials made of recyclable material.

Whereas, the project leader from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Energy Environment Agency (France) presented the work done by the organisation in the project AUVERGNE-RHONE-ALEPES ENERGY ENVIRONMENT AGENCY (FRANCE). The Energy Environment Agency has developed a regional action plan and established a regional plastic waste monitoring centre to develop new regional plastic recycling routes to help local companies recycle waste in their production lines and identify opportunities to develop new plastic recycling routes for pasta manufacturers.

Alise Vecozola, Manager of the LIFE Waste To Resources IP project, presented the project, its challenges, which the project has to achieve by the end of 2028 to meet the objectives of the National Waste Management Plan 2021-2028 in Latvia. Special emphasis was given to presenting the activities that will be implemented on the Latvian coast to reduce marine pollution and educate the public. As the PLASTECO project is a complementary activity to the LIFE Waste to Resources IP project, cross-project cooperation and monitoring of results is essential.

Participants of the conference also familiarised themselves with the good waste management practices. Several Italian waste management companies, including the plastics recycling company Montello, shared their experiences on how they produce different types of plastics from sorted plastics: flakes and pellets (HDPE, LDPE, PP, Mix), which are further used to produce other products. Montello also recycles biowaste, producing bio-fertiliser (also in liquid form), high-quality bio-fertiliser.

In the beginning of 2022, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development together with 21 other partners from the waste management sector commenced the implementation of the European Union's LIFE programme’s integrated project LIFE20 IPE/LV/000014 "Waste to Resources Latvia - Boosting Regional Sustainability and Circularity by Introducing the Waste to Resources Concept" (LIFE Waste To Recources IP), which will reduce waste generation through various project activities by ensuring resource recycling. The LIFE Waste To Resources IP project is implemented throughout Latvia, developing the waste management sector, promoting the principle of circular economy and the concept of waste as a resource, so networking between projects will help to avoid mistakes in similar project activities and transfer good practice examples.