Industrial Symbiosis in the Balkan-Mediterranean Region: The Case of Solid Waste

The treatment of waste and especially solid waste, the type with the highest increase in terms of annual generation over the last decade, is a key issue in the Balkan and Mediterranean region. Piecemeal efforts to deal with it within the prevailing linear economy model were not successful since the techniques used such as recycling and reusing could not be effective with the existing products. A definitive solution requires the switch to a new model, the circular economy model, which will facilitate the tackling of the excessive use of virgin raw materials and waste generation. The design and development of a digital solid waste reuse platform in the context of the EU-funded Interreg Project SWAN involving four countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece, was a step in this direction. The present paper based on the evidence drawn from this project examines the current situation and the future trends in the solid waste reuse and industrial symbiosis schemes in this region.