Catania, 09 October 2025 – A new EU-funded initiative, MEDWISE – Mediterranean Waste Innovations for Sustainable Environments, has officially started under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, uniting partners from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Jordan, Türkiye and Palestine, to accelerate the transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy in the waste management sector across the Mediterranean region.
Who, What, When, Where and Why
Launched in July 2025, MEDWISE brings together research centres and private actors to tackle the region’s mounting waste crisis—where most municipal refuse still ends up in landfills—by testing and scaling innovative, circular-economy solutions that save resources, cut emissions, and create green jobs.
Smart technologies for a cleaner Mediterranean
The project will develop and implement three approaches:
- AI-powered intelligent sorting and minimal food waste;
- Decentralised composting of organic fractions;
- Industrial Symbiosis, turning one industry’s by-products into another’s raw materials.
Pilot actions will take place involving municipalities, associate organisations, and citizens across the partner countries, with common technology tests implemented throughout the six nations.
Sharing solutions and skills
By facilitating cross-border knowledge exchange and building capacities among local authorities and businesses, MEDWISE will accelerate the transition to a resource-efficient, circular Mediterranean economy. The project also focuses on the human and social dimension, engaging students, researchers, start-ups and local operators in different cultural contexts within training and awareness-raising initiatives to transform waste into opportunity.
“Our goal is simple but powerful: prove that waste can become a driver of innovation, competitiveness and sustainability,” said Prof. Giuseppe Mancini, project coordinator from the University of Catania – Lead Beneficiary of the project. “By sharing solutions that already work, combined with innovative approaches, we can move faster towards a greener, fairer Mediterranean.”
Expected impact
- Demonstration of replicable circular-waste models adaptable across Mediterranean regions;
- Reduced landfill use and greenhouse-gas emissions;
- Creation of new skills and green employment opportunities;
- Policy integration supporting long-term sustainability goals.
About the project
MEDWISE – Mediterranean Waste Innovations for Sustainable Environments is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme.
- Total budget: 2,491,900 €
- EU contribution: 2,217,791 € (89%)
- Total duration: 36 months (July 2025 – July 2028)
- Partners: University of Catania (Italy), Universitat de Vic, Universitat Central de Catalunya (Spain), Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Italy), American University of Beirut (Lebanon), EDAMA Association for Energy, Water, Environment (Jordan), Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi (Turkey), Leaders International Organization (Palestine)
🌐 Project website: https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/medwise/about
