Sunce has started a new project, WASTEREDUCE – Integrated strategies and solutions for waste reduction in protected areas and Natura 2000 areas, funded as a part of the Interreg cross-border cooperation program Italy – Croatia. A total of eight partners, four from Croatia and four from Italy, will address the cross-border issue of waste impact on the Adriatic Sea.
The project objective is to improve waste management in protected and Natura 2000 areas through monitoring, prevention and mitigation of waste impact. Innovative digital solutions and optimized waste management strategies will be developed during the project.
The project has officially started
Project activities began with a kick-off meeting of all project partners in Poreč on April 19th. During the meeting, representatives of the project lead partner, the Institute for Agriculture and Tourism, provided an overview of project activities and the progress of project implementation.
– Dissemination is very important at the beginning of the project, – said Helena Brčić from the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Italy – Croatia program and presented the basic principles of managing Interreg projects to the partners.
Fabio Del Missier, on behalf of the University of Trieste, the lead partner of the first work package, presented the activities of the first work package of project activities. It is important to emphasize that this cross-border environmental project also has a socio-psychological dimension. It will analyze the habits and opinions of visitors and residents of protected and Natura 2000 areas.
During the meeting, project partners presented their organizations and their roles in the project.
– Sunce is involved in the implementation of most project activities and will contribute to the quality results of the project with its experience in the field of marine waste, – said the project manager at Sunce, Dalka Zanki.
Cross-border action to reduce marine waste
As part of the project, cross-border strategies will be devised for the involvement of countries in the region in waste reduction. An emphasis will be placed on educating and raising public awareness about the issue of marine waste. Public events and networking workshops will be organized. Also, underwater cleaning actions will be conducted in selected pilot areas. In Croatia, the selected areas are the western coast of Istria and Sakarun beach on Dugi Otok. In Italy, a part of Brenta River in Veneto region is a pilot area.
In collaboration with key stakeholders from selected pilot areas, the impact of waste will be analyzed and an action plan with measures to reduce waste will be developed. Considering the particularities of protected and Natura 2000 areas, solutions for waste sorting and disposal will be devised.
Within the project, a WASTEREDUCE area with the implemented WASTEREDUCE concept will be developed and established. Additionally, new locations for protected areas and Natura 2000 areas will be proposed during workshops with key stakeholders for the implementation of the WASTEREDUCE concept.
