SYMSITES supports transition from waste management to resource management
“In a water scarce region, the question should not be whether we reuse water, but how fast we can scale up the technologies to do it” argues Jose Cadelo (FOVASA) during theSYMSITES replication webinar, highlighting that transitioning from waste management to resource management unlocks significant economic, social, and environmental potential. The EU-funded SYMSITES project brings together local authorities from four EcoSites around Europe (Spain, Denmark, Greece and Austria) who are using the concept of Industrial-Urban Symbiosis (I-US) to support this transition and improve the sustainability of industrial and societal resources starting from wastewater and waste materials.
The SYMSITES replication webinar, organised by ICLEI Europe, highlighted how the four EcoSites have been implementing I-US solutions in practice, aiming to facilitate the replication of the SYMSITES results in other EU regions. It was directed at local authorities and their public and private utility companies handling waste and wastewater, as well as representatives from related industries needed to create symbiotic flows, but also academia and civil society engaged in R&D activities or interested in local economic development enabled by I-US.
After an introduction on the technical approach of the project by Emma Perez (AITEX, SYMSITES coordinator), FOVASA, managing the Spanish Ecosite, presented the challenges and opportunities associated with the co-treatment of urban and industrial wastewater alongside organic solid waste to produce green hydrogen, high-quality reclaimed water, and biofertilizers. The following presentation highlighted how the Austrian Ecosite is converting meat-processing wastewater and organic residues into biomethane, process water and fertilizer. Next, the Danish Ecosite presented showcased how it is integrating brewery and urban wastewater treatment with municipal biowaste to produce methane and reclaimed water, including the societal involvement activities done in Bornholm, where the pilot is located. Lastly, in Greece, the project supports the decentralized treatment and resource recovery from fermentable household waste and wastewater through a brown-bin collection system.
In the following panel discussion, Professor Gerasimos Lyberatos (NTUA) emphasised that the technology to conduct these processes is available, and often leads to significant energy savings and lower costs. As Mathias Knudsen (BOFA) noted, the setup can sometimes take more time than expected, but once everything is up and running, the operation runs smoothly. However I-US processes are still faced with significant non-technological barriers. Wolfgang Gabauer (BOKU) pointed out for example that in Austria there are some legal questions related to using cleaned waste water for irrigation; as in the rest of Europe, there is a lot of regulatory and industrial hesitation around I-US processes.
Watch the recording of the webinar:
The next SYMSITES webinar will take place in the spring of 2026. If you are interested in staying in touch, please register here: https://forms.gle/Vke6k3SxcNFFDzD7A
