Nothing to Waste: A Green Venture Business Model supporting local communities to Circular Economy pathways

Nothing-to-Waste is a green venture about the promotion and implementation of circular economy in the area of Western Thessaloniki, Greece, where 24 businesses are attempting to self-manage their waste in sustainable way. The project is being planned, implemented, coordinated and monitored by NoWaste21, a non-profit enterprise running projects in circular economy, sustainable waste management and recycling. The project uses an integrated approach that includes the implementation of a pilot separate collection program by setting up 29 green points with bins for the separate collection of 6 different waste streams: paper, PET bottles, other plastics & metals and Tetrapak packaging, electrical & electronic equipment, household batteries, and cooking oils. Concurrently, the project includes an educational and training program of businesses and their employees to raise awareness on circular economy principles and ensure their active participation. Preliminary findings of 2 months showed inefficiencies and malpractices regarding the sorting of waste which over continuous communication and education decreased significantly collecting over 6.5 tonnes of recyclable material. Best results were reported for paper in terms of purity with most of the quantities being stocked material. As the project progresses there is a gradual improvement in the collected quantities and the purity of the materials.