At the beginning of this week (07-09.10.2024) members of the Institute for Technology Transfer and Innovations (ITTI, Bulgaria) team took part in international conference of the SWAL-CITIZENS-TOWN project in Kortrijk, Belgium. Besides the current status of the project development and the time plan of the activities, the participants have focused on the main goal: cooperation and intensive exchange of good practices in the process of waste management.
During the first day a conference discussion was organised on the following topics: Circular communities: citizens’ and municipalities’ involvement; Local, regional and funding mechanisms/programmes for waste management and circular economy projects. The conference started with welcome by the host partner – Mr. Wim Stubbe – project coordinator in Intercommunale Leidal and the project coordinator Mr. Gancho Kolaksazov (ITTI). Mr. Stubbe introduced the main activities and problems faced by the organization. The Intercommunale Leidal is the interlocal association for regional development in South-West Flanders that wants to help develop this region dynamically and sustainably into an attractive region for doing business, working, living and experiencing: https://www.leiedal.be/ After that the participants have discussed the presentations by Michail Delagrammatikas – CRETHIDEV, Greece, Daniel Prajzendanc, NGO “Stowarzyszenie aktywna integracia – RURZYCA, Poland, Gancho Kolaksazov (ITTI), Bulgaria, Marie Josette – Executive sectretary in Ta’ Sannat Local Council, Malta, Dragana Djordjevic, Portugal and Maja Manic, the Netherlands.
During the second half of the day and the whole next day all of the partners joined various study visits which included the following places:
- Deltagroup (https://www.deltagroep.be/): it is a partnership between different companies that provide a more sustainable living environment by their products and services. The Deltagroup includes https://www.dekringloopwinkel.be/, https://vzwconstructief.be/, https://www.mobiel.be/
- Howest Industrial Design Center: https://www.industrialproductdesign.be/ the guests got to know companies of local students who use the halls of the center and their products made of recycled materials.
- Design regio Kortrijk- https://designregio-kortrijk.be/. There was a presentation of the main objectives and activities of the organisation;
- Visit to the waste intermunicipal partnership company between the municipalities of Menen, Wevelgem and Wervik- https://www.mirom-menen.be/
For more information, please, visit our different info channels:
Project website : https://cerveurope.wixsite.com/swai/home
Project FB page : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090721521837
ITTI FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ITTIBG
ITTI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/itti-bg/
ITTI website: www.ittibg.org