How can waste management become more efficient, accessible and circular at local level? The ECOTOWN Regional Workshop brought together local stakeholders, technical experts and decision-makers to answer this question.
Held in San Cosmo Albanese on 17 September 2026, the event was designed as a practical working session, creating a direct link between the preliminary analysis carried out within the project and the next technical and pilot implementation phases.
During the first part of the workshop, participants were introduced to the ECOTOWN project and to the current waste management situation in San Cosmo Albanese, identified as the site for the pilot action: the opening of an Ecocentre. The shared ambition is to further improve the quality and performance of separate waste collection in San Cosmo Albanese, aiming for increasingly high recycling rates and a more efficient and circular local waste management system.
A central part of the event was the “Needs & Solutions” roundtable, which offered stakeholders the opportunity to share their experience, identify current gaps and discuss practical aspects that should be taken into account during implementation. Participants exchanged views on issues such as the management of specific waste streams, user accessibility, information and awareness, operational organisation and the conditions needed to encourage effective use of the new facility. The discussion highlighted the importance of designing the Ecocentre around the actual needs of residents and local users, while ensuring that it is easy to access, well communicated and effectively integrated with the existing waste collection system.
ECOTOWN activities continued on 18 September 2026 with the 2nd Project Meeting. Project partners reviewed the progress of ongoing activities, shared updates from the different territories and jointly planned the next steps of implementation.
The workshop and the project meeting therefore represented an important step in the ECOTOWN process, turning the preliminary analysis into a concrete dialogue with the territory and ensuring that local knowledge and stakeholder experience can contribute directly to the development of the pilot solution.
