A project by Ecomondo
WEEE-START | Switch on the change
Scheduled for November 4-7 in Rimini, the 2025 edition of Ecomondo has launched the “WEEE-START: switch on the change”, involving the setup of a special separate collection point where visitors, exhibitors, and stakeholders can dispose of their small electronic waste with a simple but important gesture.
This initiative is the result of a collaboration with various partners in the waste recycling sector and, more generally, in the circular economy: the Gruppo Hera, currently part of the Scart project; the WEEE Coordination Center (CdC RAEE); and the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR).
Which small WEEE items can be disposed of?
Here are some examples:
- phones and smartphones
- earphones
- chargers
- calculators
- alarm clocks and watches
- electric toothbrushes and shavers
Gruppo Hera | SCART
SCART is the Hera Group's art and communication project, which for over 25 years has been transforming industrial waste into artworks, giving a second chance to materials that still have a lot to say. It has paved an innovative way that combines ethics and beauty.
Over the years, SCART has created a collection of over 1,000 pieces, including furniture and design components, sculptures, paintings, musical instruments, stage costumes, and sets, made exclusively from recycled materials.
The Hera Group's ambition is to use SCART project to reach a wider audience through the universal language of art, raising awareness of the circular economy, sustainability, and the environmental impact of waste when it is not properly sorted.
SCART's works are a resource available to those who want to support environmental culture using innovative and effective communication tools.
Centro di Coordinamento RAEE
The WEEE Coordination Centre is a private consortium established under Regulation 185/2007 and participated in by the Collective Systems of producers of electrical and electronic equipment. The WEEE Coordination Centre operates under the supervision of MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security) and MIMIT (Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy), and is responsible for optimising the collection, pickup, and management of household WEEE in Italy.
Among its duties, as defined in Articles 33 and 34 of Legislative Decree 49/2014, is the signing of agreements with ANCI (the National Association of Italian Municipalities), waste collection companies, and the national trade associations of producers, distributors, and treatment companies. These agreements aim to:
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ensure the collection of WEEE from households as well as from commercial, industrial, and institutional sources that are similar in nature and quantity to those from households, through dedicated drop-off centres, guarantee uniform operating conditions among the Collective Systems, support the collection of household electronic waste to meet European collection targets, ensure adequate and standardised levels of treatment for this type of waste collected across the country.
European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR)
The European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is the largest awareness-raising campaign in Europe dedicated to waste prevention and reduction. Now in its 17th edition, it celebrates thousands of concrete initiatives promoted each year by participants from all over Europe.
The mission of the campaign is rooted in the principles of the circular economy: the "3 Rs" — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — with a hierarchy that prioritizes prevention and reduction at the source, followed by reuse, and finally recycling.
The EWWR is conceived as a bottom-up call to action, engaging citizens, schools, businesses, public authorities, and associations to take part by launching projects, events, and actions — both online and offline, aimed at reducing waste, promoting best practices, and encouraging collective reflection.
