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Knowledge category: Projects

Value chains for disruptive transformation of urban biowaste into biobased products in the city context

Updated on 12.04.2023

WaysTUP! establishes new value chains for urban bio-waste utilisation to produce higher-value products, including food and feed ingredients, through a multi-stakeholder approach. It showcases new products and drives behavioural change in citizens and communities. The project also involves pilot demonstrations in several European cities.

Acronym: WaysTUP!
Countries: Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Project website: https://waystup.eu/
Start and end date: 01.09.2019 - 31.08.2023
Budget: 11 748 616 EUR
Funding source: Horizon 2020

More information

Converting bio-waste into valuable products will contribute to a circular economy. Through a multi-stakeholder approach in line with circular economy, the EU-funded WaysTUP! project showcases a portfolio of new products produced from urban bio-waste-to-bio-based processes starting from different feedstock. These include fish and meat waste, spent coffee grounds, source-separated household bio-waste, used cooking oils, and cellulosic waste derived from municipal wastewater and waste treatment plants and sewage sludge.
 

These processes will result in the production of food and feed additives, flavours, insect protein, coffee oil, bioethanol, biosolvents, polyhydroxyalkanoates, ethyl lactate, long chain dicarboxylic acid, bioplastics and biochar. New, profitable business models are being developed to prepare the new technological solutions and end products for the market. This process involves end-product characterisation, safety assessment, and Life Cycle Assessment of the value chains to assess their environmental impact.
 

WaysTUP! aims to boost citizen participation in waste collection and drive behavioural change in citizens and local communities by improving perceptions of urban bio-waste as a local resource. It also seeks to improve customer acceptance of urban bio-waste derived products. The project also provides guidance for city managers on adopting new organisational models for the valorisation of urban bio-waste, as well as evidence-based EU-level policy recommendations for decision makers. Pilot demonstrations are taking place in several European cities and regions: Alicante (Spain), Athens (Greece), Chania (Greece), L'Alcúdia (Spain), London (UK), Prague (Czech Republic), Terni (Italy), and Valencia (Spain).

Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions

WaysTUP! considers how different types of end products (active peptides, enzyme for tendering, gelatine, flavours, polyphenols, etc.) can be produced from feedstock such as fish and meat waste, spent coffee grounds, source-separated household bio-waste, and used cooking oils. Different valorisation technologies are considered, including insect breeding, fermentation, extraction, and bioprocessing. The project works with different types of stakeholders across industries, including traditional value chain actors as well as innovative start-ups. Its ambition is to drive behavioural change in citizens and local communities, improving and changing longstanding perceptions of urban bio-waste.

Horizon programme(s) and/or topic(s)

Programme(s):

  • H2020-EU.3.2: SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy (Main programme)
  • H2020-EU.3.2.4.1.: Fostering the bio-economy for bio-based industries
  • H2020-EU.3.2.2.1.: Informed consumer choices


Topic(s):

  • CE-SFS-25-2018: Integrated system innovation in valorising urban biowaste

Budget

€ 11 748 616.34 (EU contribution: € 9 348 929.35)

Responsible organisation and contact details

Sociedad Anonima Agricultores De La Vega De Valencia

Contact the project: https://waystup.eu/contact/

Project consortium partners

  • Biopolis S.L.
  • AIMPLAS ‒ Asociacion de Investigacion de Materiales Plasticos y Conexas
  • Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion
  • Polytechneio Kritis
  • Universidad de Alicante, Bio-bean Limited
  • NAFIGATE Corporation, A.S.
  • Novamont S.p.A.
  • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas
  • Medioambientales y Tecnológicas-Ciemat
  • tbw research GesmbH
  • Nutrition Sciences
  • ADM Wild Valencia SA
  • Terra i Xufa Sociedad Limitada
  • Draxis Environmental S.A.
  • Fundacion Circe Centro de Investigación de Recursos y Consumos Energeticos
  • Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum
  • Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias
  • BioSense Institute ‒ Research and Development Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems
  • Etam Anonymh Etaireia Symboyleytikon Kai Melethtikon Ypiresion
  • Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona
  • Ayuntamiento de Valencia
  • Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature
  • Diktyo Poleon Gia Ti Viosimi Anaptyxi Kai Kykliki Oikonomia
  • Hayat Kimya Sanayi Anonim Sirketi
  • Perseo Biotechnology S.L.
Sectors

CEAP2 key product value chain

Territories involved

large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000

predominantly urban regions, intermediate and predominantly rural regions, refer to TERCET typology NUTS 3 region