Energy Advice

Project objectives

The overall objective of the WasteArt project was to increase the awareness and change people’s habits towards more environmentally friendly behaviour concerning the waste reduction, re-use and recycling.

To achieve above mentioned objective three specific objectives were defined:

1. To use the capacity of contemporary art and the diversity of artistic practices as tools for increasing public awareness about the vast amounts of waste produced from activities of everyday life and to promote the Waste 3R among the general public.
2. To introduce the Waste Audit and Waste 3R at kindergartens and schools, thus strengthening environmental consciousness of future generations.
3. To ensure that the project meets its objectives within budget and scheduled timescales and to facilitate uptake of project results by main stakeholders.

Main activities:

1. Artistic Creative Reuse Campaign “NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind”.

The project partners attracted two curators for travelling exhibition in Latvia and Estonia. 17 artists from 9 countries were selected to create art projects from wasted materials and include them in one travelling exhibition. The exhibition was displayed in 6 art, education and culture places in Latvia and Estonia – Science and art centre “Brewery” in Cēsis, Latvia; Tartu Nature House, Estonia; Nature and technology park “Urda” in Daibe landfill, Latvia; Konda center in Viljandi, Estonia; Estonian Road Museum in Varbuse; Tallinn Street Quarter in Riga, Latvia. In spite of the challenges brought by the global pandemic, travelling exhibition attracted 39 849 visitors and accompanying communication campaign reached 520 987 people.

2.  Campaign “Waste Audit and 3R”.

The project partners attracted 26 schools and kindergartens from Latvia and Estonia – 14 schools / kindergartens from Latvia and 12 schools / kindergartens from Estonia. Partners developed waste audit toolkit primarily for the use in schools and kindergartens and then adapted it for households and offices. The toolkit is available in the project partners’ websites. Involved schools and kindergartens tested the waste audit toolkit and most of them included it in their daily processes. Afterwards, with the help and guidance of project partners involved schools and kindergartens developed their Waste 3R action plans. Moreover, the project provided equipment for schools and kindergartens, so that it would be easier to start waste reduction, re-use and recycle activities. This campaign gave very practical tools, steps and guidelines for schools and kindergartens, who were involved in the project and also raised the awareness in other surrounding educational institutions that contacted the project partners and started to use waste audit toolkit.

Additionally, the project communication raised much bigger resonance in the society than it was predicted. The communication campaign reached 734 427 people, thus showcasing that waste problems are crucial in both countries and the society is ready to take steps to improve the situation. 

Added value of cooperation:

To reach the common EU targets for waste landfill reduction and recycling of waste, there is a need of cross-border and cross-sectoral cooperation. The WasteArt project highlighted that Latvia and Estonia share the problem of waste, especially regarding the landfilling. It was important to put together the strengths of scientific, educational, and artistic organisations, as well as local municipalities form Estonia and Latvia to first, raise the awareness of the waste issues and second, give already small steps to start to change the situation. Moreover, it is important that such tools as waste audit toolkit is done taking into account the needs and waste management processes, as well as specifics of schools and kindergartens in both countries. It gives much more understanding of the current differences and system errors, as well as provide ideas, how to reach the EU targets together, by understanding and learning from each other.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WasteArtproject

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasteart_project/

Website: http://www.videsinstituts.lv/en/projects/waste/wasteart

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe8lzxnYA70K_2lPIpi5Sqg