The project “Awareness Raising Actions on Waste Management Practices and Responsible Consumption at All Levels of Education”, with the acronym “GET CIRCULAR”, is implemented under the INTERREG VI-A Greece-Bulgaria Programme 2021-2027.

The project addresses the need to promote sustainable practices and responsible attitudes towards waste among students, teachers and parents, who are key stakeholders in education at all levels in Greece and Bulgaria. Recognising the important role of education in socio-economic development and environmental protection, the project supports the transition towards more efficient use of resources through the application of circular economy principles and responsible consumption.

The main objective of the project is to raise awareness of sustainable household waste management and to implement pilot initiatives that promote circular practices and contribute to the development of a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy.

The project focuses on the three main pillars of sustainable development: environmental protection, social equity and economic sustainability. Its specific objectives are to improve knowledge and understanding of circular economy principles and sustainable household waste management, promote responsible consumption and waste reduction through practical pilot actions, and support the exchange of knowledge and good practices across the Greece-Bulgaria Cross-Border Area.

The main expected outcome of the project is to increase public awareness of the benefits of the circular economy, waste reduction, reuse and recovery, as well as the potential to turn waste into useful resources within the cross-border region.

The project will implement the following activities:

• Development of a specialised platform and a Sustainable Consumption Handbook.
• An information campaign and targeted workshops to raise awareness of the circular economy and sustainable development among citizens in the Cross-Border Region, including the Region of Central Macedonia in Greece and Blagoevgrad District in Bulgaria.
• Delivery and installation of 28 machines for the collection and processing of PET bottles and metal cans. Twenty-four machines will be located in the municipalities of Blagoevgrad, Kresna, Strumyani, Sandanski, Petrich, Razlog, Bansko, Belitsa, Gotse Delchev, Garmen, Hadzhidimovo and Satovcha, while four will be installed on the campus of the American University in Bulgaria.
• Delivery of a food waste composting machine for the canteen of the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki.
• Delivery of a slow-speed shredder for plant and mixed waste residues, as well as a mobile composting unit for the Municipality of Thermi, Greece.
• Distribution of 500 composters to households in Blagoevgrad District.
• Pilot initiatives in Thessaloniki and Blagoevgrad that will demonstrate practical waste management solutions with the potential to be applied on a wider scale.
• Creation of a Cross-Border Network of organisations to promote cooperation among stakeholders in Greece and Bulgaria and support the exchange of experience and knowledge between the two regions.

The project results are aimed at municipalities, universities, educational institutions, citizens and other stakeholders in Greece and Bulgaria. Through information activities, practical initiatives and cross-border cooperation, the GET CIRCULAR project will contribute to a better understanding and application of circular economy principles, as well as to more sustainable consumption and resource management across the cross-border region.

Programme: INTERREG VI-A Greece-Bulgaria 2021–2027 

Project mission: Municipal waste management: measures for prevention, minimization, sorting, reuse, and recycling. 

Specific objective: RSO2.6 Circular economy 

Duration: 24 months 

Total project budget: €1,665,031.00 (comprising €1,332,024.80 from the ERDF and a national contribution of €333,006.20) 

Partners: 

• University Research Institute of Applied Economic and Social Sciences – University of Macedonia (Greece
• Municipality of Thermi (Greece
• American University in Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
• Association of South-Western Municipalities (Bulgaria) are partners. 

Project website: