The Wastereduce project, which involves Croatia and Italy as part of the VI European Territorial Cooperation Program Interreg 2021-2027, was presented at the University of Trieste.

The green project, lasting two and a half years, involves collaboration between research institutes, local administrations, environmental protection and resource management agencies, non-governmental organizations, and service companies. The goal is to improve waste management in protected areas and Natura 2000 Network sites. The initiative aims to implement joint actions to combat waste abandonment using innovative detection and intervention methods.

Eight partners from the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Istria are participating in the project: the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism of Poreč, the consortium leader, the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Trieste, the Istrian Region, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Veneto, the managing body of the natural reserves of the Istrian region "Natura Histrica", the Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development "Sunce" based in Croatia, ETRA SpA - a benefit company based in Bassano del Grappa (Treviso), and Etifor – Valuing Nature, a spin-off of the University of Padua.

Wastereduce, funded with over 1.6 million euros by the European Union, was created in response to recent alarming data provided by the European Community. This data predicts that, in a "business-as-usual" scenario, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040, rising from the current 9-14 million tons per year (2016 data) to a forecast of 23-37 million tons per year.

It is estimated that about 80% of this marine debris comes from land-based sources: waste inadequately managed in landfills, litter left on beaches and coastal areas, river runoff, coastal tourism, and waste directly disposed of at sea (e.g., illegal dumping or accidental release from ships).

These materials, especially plastics, cause severe economic damage, impacting coastal communities, tourism, navigation, and fishing. They also pose health risks to humans and biodiversity, affecting public health and resources like drinking water.

The project's approach aims to minimize human activities' pressure on protected areas and Natura 2000 sites by proposing solutions to reduce waste dispersal and developing cross-border cooperation mechanisms to monitor and identify critical areas where waste accumulation requires targeted management efforts. Complementary studies in behavioral psychology will be conducted to understand how to promote habit changes among those who use protected areas and may unknowingly contribute to environmentally harmful actions.

According to Dr. Barbara Sladonja of the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism of Poreč, the project coordinator, "Wastereduce aims to involve as many local entities, institutions, and individual citizens as possible from the outset, who can actively support societal change towards a more sustainable and low-impact future."

The use of advanced technologies, including satellite imagery, will be crucial for necessary territorial analysis to optimize waste collection points. "An important challenge we will face is understanding how the development of artificial intelligence can support remote monitoring systems to control waste accumulation in areas of natural value," says Professor Giovanni Bacaro, Professor of Environmental and Applied Botany at the University of Trieste and project referent for the Department of Life Sciences.

Finally, citizen involvement at various levels will be essential for the project's success. Education and awareness actions will focus on citizens, whose feedback will guide new waste management policies by the project partners. These policies are expected to translate into concrete actions to reduce, mitigate, and prevent pollution from waste in our natural reserves, rivers, and seas. Another result will be increased attractiveness for visitors to natural reserves, thereby enhancing the tourism value of the involved territories.