LIFE+ Programme
To foster public awareness of environmental issues among economic actors as well as among the general public, the European Commission proposes a financial instrument devoted exclusively to the protection of the environment – LIFE+.
Comprising three segments; Nature and biodiversity, Environmental policy and governance, and Information and Communication, the LIFE+ programme reflects the desire to address issues of environmental importance in all European policies, and thus contribute to sustainable development.
The European Week for Waste Reduction (2009-2011) is supported by the “Information and Communication” component of the LIFE+ Programme
Information and Communication component
The European Week for Waste Reduction: a LIFE+ Information and Communication Project
Recognising that they were each organising annual events focusing on waste prevention and reduction, ADEME and European partners ACR+, IBGE, ARC and LIPOR submitted a proposal to jointly organise a European Week for Waste Reduction, in response to a call for European projects issued under the “Information and Communication” segment of the LIFE+ programme.
Moreover, the European Week for Waste Reduction benefits from the experience of ADEME, a pioneer in this field having already coordinated three major French waste reduction campaigns (2005, 2006, 2008), launched within the framework of a French National Plan for the prevention of waste production which was initiated in 2004.
Objectives of the Week
The idea of the European Week for Waste Reduction is to put forward the concept of waste prevention during a whole week by coordinating awareness-raising actions organised by a variety of actors (administrations/public authorities, associations/NGOs, businesses/industry, educational establishments, etc.) and targeted at a variety of audiences (the general public, employees, schoolchildren, etc.).
The Week is coordinated by public authorities that have competence in the field of waste prevention. These authorities act as “Organisers” in the area covered by their authority, thereby ensuring the registration and validation of proposals for “EWWR actions” put forward by various different categories of actors (“Project Developers”).
The European Week for Waste Reduction aims to:
- Promote sustainable waste reduction actions across Europe
- Raise awareness about the waste prevention and reduction strategies and policies of the European Union and its Member States
- Firmly embed the concept of waste reduction, by highlighting actions carried out by various actors
- Motivate the greatest number possible of citizens to take up action, by providing concrete information on the right habits and behaviour that can be adopted effectively
- Show how our consumption directly affects the environment and climate change, and emphasise the links between waste reduction and sustainable development
