From waste to resource: The AWASTER approach in practice
28/08/2026
Through the implementation of the AWASTER – Adopting WASTE as Resource project, funded by the Interreg Italy–Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, partners from Croatia and Italy worked together to develop practical solutions for more sustainable waste and resource management.
Running since 2024, the project has focused on promoting the circular economy and sustainable resource management. The Istrian Regional Energy Agency (IRENA) led the project, with Sunce Association from Split, the Italian LAG VeGAL, SINLOC SPA from Padua, the City of Casarano and the Croatian LAG 5 as project partners.
Throughout the project, schools, local communities, public institutions and civil society organisations joined forces to turn the principles of the circular economy into practical, hands-on activities. From coastal clean-ups and waste monitoring to recycling, composting, reuse and 3D printing, AWASTER has shown that waste can be given a second life.
Working together for a better future
A special focus was placed on children and young people. Through workshops, EcoLabs, creative activities and hands-on experiments, students learned how to reduce waste and contribute to protecting the Adriatic. An important goal was also to encourage students to share what they had learned with their parents and the wider community.
Schools in Croatia and Italy organised educational activities covering marine litter, plastic pollution, recycling, waste prevention and marine protection.
In Istria, IRENA implemented the “AWASTER – Less Waste, More Success” programme in seven schools and kindergartens, involving 198 children and students. Through presentations, quizzes, waste-sorting games and demonstrations of plastic recycling, participants learned about waste management, including how plastic bottle caps can be transformed into filament for 3D printing.
Sunce Association organised introductory workshops at Visoka and Skalice primary schools in Split, while VeGAL in Italy delivered a programme combining lectures, scientific experiments, creative workshops and theatre performances. More than 200 students and teachers took part in the interactive performance “Alice oltre lo spreco”, which explored waste prevention and responsible consumption in an engaging way.
The City of Casarano organised educational workshops for more than 200 students, while LAG 5 involved 61 students in activities focused on waste prevention, reuse and recycling.
VeGAL also implemented the RESET programme with secondary schools in the Portogruaro area. The programme was structured in several phases. During the first phase, RESET LIVE, around 130 students from six classes took part in immersive and gamified workshops exploring topics such as ecological footprint, finite resources and Earth Overshoot Day. The activities combined quizzes, team problem-solving and simulations, while also helping identify the students and teams who would take part in the practical activities that followed.
During the second phase, RESET LABORATORY, around 180 students participated in a hands-on EcoLab, learning how post-consumer plastic, primarily HDPE, can be sorted, shredded and processed into new products.
The activities were documented, and the RESET Manual was translated and printed to support future implementation of the programme. The EcoLab remains available to local schools and associations.
Learning through clean-up actions
Students and local volunteers also took their learning beyond the classroom by participating in coastal and other clean-up activities. Along the way, they learned how to identify, sort and record different types of waste.
IRENA organised two clean-up actions in Istria. Around 200 kg of waste was collected in the Teleferika area of Rabac, while in Valsaline Bay in Pula, 60 students collected, sorted and recorded 81.79 kg of waste.
Sunce Association organised a clean-up in the Pantana area near Trogir, where 56 participants collected 112.85 kg of waste and recorded 3,183 individual waste items.
VeGAL organised four beach clean-ups in Bibione, Caorle and Jesolo. The activities combined waste collection with monitoring and citizen science. Around 170 kg of waste was collected during one of the actions, while approximately 2,600 individual items were recorded during another.
On the island of Korčula, students and volunteers took part in two clean-up actions, collecting around 20 kg of waste in Žrnovo and 35 kg in Rasohatica Bay.
These activities demonstrated that environmental protection is not simply a topic to be studied in the classroom, but something everyone can actively contribute to in their own community.
Learning through waste monitoring
Another project activity involved testing the Waste Footprint application, designed to help students learn about waste while recording the materials they collect.
IRENA tested the application in three schools in Istria between August 2025 and June 2026. Students and teachers found it easy to use, particularly for pupils in grades 3 to 6, and no major technical issues were reported during the testing period.
The City of Casarano used the application during a school clean-up involving 33 students. Other project partners introduced and tested the application at different stages as part of their activities with schools.
The experience showed that the application has strong potential as an educational tool, while also highlighting opportunities for further development. These include simplifying the user experience, enabling data entry for entire classes, adding more visual content and improving data export functions.
Children sharing knowledge with parents
An important part of the project was connecting what students learn at school with everyday family life. Schools therefore organised exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and creative activities involving students, parents and the wider community.
In Istria, students created artworks from plastic bottles and marine litter and took part in demonstrations of 3D printing using recycled plastic.
In Split, Sunce Association organised reuse workshops where students, teachers and parents transformed marine and household waste into useful objects such as windmills, picture frames and pencil holders.
In Casarano, families took part in the “Mysterious Object” creative challenge, exploring new ways of reusing objects that would otherwise become waste, as well as in a 3D-printing demonstration.
On Korčula, students and parents transformed old clothes into reusable fabric bags while learning about reuse, slow fashion and ways to reduce textile waste.
From waste to new products
One of the most practical outcomes of the project was the establishment and use of EcoLabs in schools. These facilities gave students the opportunity not only to learn about recycling, but also to experiment with real materials and technologies themselves.
IRENA established EcoLabs in six schools in Istria County, involving around 180 students. Through these activities, students learned how plastic waste can be transformed into filament for 3D printers and used to create new products. They also learned about composting and used compost to grow herbs in school gardens.
At Rivarela Primary School in Novigrad, students put their newly acquired knowledge into practice through an intergenerational activity, planting ornamental flowers and herbs together with residents of the Novigrad nursing home.
Sunce Association carried out 3D-printing activities in three schools in Split. Students visited a plastic recycling facility and then used recycled materials to create products such as a marine ecosystem model, waste-sorting boxes and a lamp.
Through the RESET programme, VeGAL involved around 180 students in activities focused on recycling HDPE plastic. Students learned how to sort, clean, shred and process plastic and turn it into new products.
The City of Casarano established seven EcoLabs equipped with 3D printers and plastic-processing equipment, while LAG 5 established EcoLabs at Petar Šegedin Secondary School and Petra Kanavelić Primary School. There, students learned about composting and using recycled plastic for 3D printing.
What have we achieved?
AWASTER has shown that students learn best when they can see, touch and make things themselves. Hands-on activities such as environmental clean-ups, recycling, 3D printing, composting and creative workshops proved particularly effective in sparking interest and strengthening students’ understanding of the circular economy.
At the same time, the project demonstrated the importance of cooperation between schools, local authorities, civil society organisations, businesses and local communities. Cross-border cooperation between Croatia and Italy enabled partners to exchange experiences, test new approaches and develop solutions that can continue to be used beyond the lifetime of the project.
Most importantly, students learned that waste does not always have to be something we simply throw away. With knowledge, creativity and the right technology, some waste materials can become new materials, useful products, compost or works of art.
Today, after two years of implementation, the project leaves behind not only new equipment and tools in schools, but also new knowledge, skills and experiences.
The project has shown that the journey from waste to resources starts with small steps, at school, at home and in the local community, and that, by working together, these steps can help build a more sustainable future.
