Activity in Zaragoza

The CirculaWASTE project workshop was held in the city of Zaragoza, Spain, where different activities took place from March 13th to 17th, 2023. In these activities, participants from Belgium, Spain, Romania and Turkey had the opportunity to learn and improve their knowledge on sustainable energy, agriculture and urban waste management, good practices related to sustainability, greenwashing, and to reflect on innovations related to a sustainable economy.

The objective for the participants was to acquire new skills and improve competencies related to waste management and sustainable energy, through an interactive and practical learning environment provided by the workshops.

The objectives of the workshop were as follows:
• Developing knowledge and professional skills related to waste management in their personal and professional lives.
• Inspiring participants to develop good practices related to sustainability in their own realities.
• Improving knowledge about sustainable energy and a circular economy.
• Sharing knowledge regarding sustainable awareness and the transferring of innovative ideas about waste management.
• Promoting environmental awareness.

During these five days several activities were organized; on the first day, after some warm-up activities, PhD students from the University of Zaragoza presented their projects on the production of bioproducts and biofuels from biomass and waste and on the creation of alternative fuels and fertilizers to contribute to the sustainable management of waste in livestock areas. This was followed by a workshop on greenwashing to develop participants’ analytical skills and critical thinking.

On the second day, a panel was organized with Fertinagro Biotech and participants learned about sustainable agriculture and fertilizers. On the same day, participants had the opportunity to reflect on good practices in sustainable development in everyday life. Finally, they discussed the causes and consequences of the problem of food waste and tried to find some solutions.

On the third day, the participants visited the urban waste management plant ‘CTRUZ’ (Complejo para el Tratamiento de Residuos Urbanos de Zaragoza), enjoyed a guided tour of the educational center of the complex, followed by a visit to the plant itself. They concluded the day with a visit to the medieval Islamic palace Aljafería. The following day, they had the opportunity to visit El Galacho de Juslibol, a naturalistic park, where they participated in a workshop to make homemade soap, produced from used oil and sodium hydroxide.

Finally, on the last day, there was a feedback session and open reflections on the workshops and panels held during the week.