Sustainable and innovative educational center for the reuse and recycling of plastic, paper, e-waste and other products in Albania
Keywords: circular economy, resource use, resource management, sustainability education, entrepreneurship
Subject and objectives of the project
Waste is omnipresent in Albania: around 5-10 % of waste is not collected at all, over 80 % of waste ends up in legal or mostly illegal landfills or in watercourses, while only 18.8 % is recycled. Effective measures for sustainable, integrated waste management are generally almost non-existent in Albania and even non-existent in the target region. The general population does not see waste as a secondary raw material, but as garbage to be disposed of as quickly as possible.
This is where the project comes in: on the one hand, it aims to raise awareness among the population through education and communication measures in the area of waste management and recycling, and on the other hand, concrete measures are being taken to reduce the amount of plastic, paper and glass in the Kruja/Vora region of Albania.
Specifically, as part of education for sustainable development, educational programs lasting several hours to a full day are being implemented with pupils from five schools in the region and students from two universities in Tirana, with a focus on waste treatment.
In addition to setting up this first Albanian education center, including a repair café and a second-hand store, specific waste management mechanisms for plastic, paper, metal and glass are being established at the site. In cooperation with 200 regional small and medium-sized enterprises (mainly supermarkets, restaurants, petrol stations, kiosks), ten schools and two municipalities, the collection, sorting and use of various waste streams is being tested and a local recycling center is being set up.
Information campaigns are being used to raise awareness of the issue among over 40,000 inhabitants of the region. At the same time, “Impact Insights” transparency mechanisms are being developed for companies in Germany that enable customers and stakeholders to track and experience the environmental impact of their own products in real time.
Innovation and exemplary nature of the project
The project is breaking new ground in education for sustainable development (ESD) and waste management in several places in Albania. The first extracurricular education center in Albania to focus on waste management focuses on aspects of recycling and upcycling as well as the negative effects of plastic waste in particular on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In this way, pupils and students not only expand their knowledge of waste management, but also gain knowledge of the environmental impact of unmanaged waste streams and the potential for the reuse of secondary raw materials. Through the targeted involvement of 200 local and regional (market) players, waste streams can be recorded on a significant scale, so that the compensation mechanism for collected waste developed by the applicant for German companies can also be tested in Albania. If this mechanism is successful, the project approach can be continued beyond the project period and serve as a model for other regions in Albania.
Special aspects of the project
The Albanian start-up partner company RecycAl received two awards in 2024 for its pioneering work in Albania: it is the “Winner of the ՙSmart and Green Future՚ Competition for the Smart EcoBins project”, organized by the German Embassy and the Albanian Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, and “Winner of the ՙSDG Business Pioneers Award Albania 2024՚ – Overall Winner in the Micro Companies Category”, supported by the UNDP and the Swedish government. In October 2025, RecycAl received the Circular Start-Up Award in Budva as the winner for the Western Balkans region.
Funding topic 8: Recycling and efficient use of large and environmentally relevant material flows
Cooperation partners:
Place of activity: Albania
Funding period: December 2022 to November 2025
Funding amount: 124,840 euros
DBU-AZ: 38612/01
Status: 09.02.2026