Waste and Food Residues to Alternative Value for Energy
Funding Program:
Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Croatia-Serbia
Call:
IPA Croatia-Serbia 2021-2027 – 2nd Call
Project ID:
HR-RS00366
Duration:
2026-2028
Total Budget:
€ 946.532,00
Waste and Food Residues to Alternative Value for Energy
The WAVE project addresses the growing challenges of food waste, inefficient resource use and the limited uptake of renewable energy solutions in the Croatia–Serbia cross-border region. Serbia generates approximately 3.18 million tonnes of municipal waste annually, while Croatia generates around 1.7 million tonnes. A significant share consists of organic and biodegradable materials, including food surplus that is still suitable for redistribution and unavoidable food waste that could be converted into renewable energy.
Existing food waste management systems often focus primarily on disposal, while opportunities for prevention, redistribution, separate collection and energy recovery remain insufficiently developed. Local authorities, public utility companies, businesses and citizens also lack the infrastructure, digital tools and practical knowledge required to manage food surplus and waste more efficiently. As a result, valuable resources are lost, greenhouse gas emissions increase and the potential for producing biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, compost and other forms of renewable energy remains underused.
How will WAVE solve this
WAVE aims to improve food waste management and its conversion into renewable energy, contributing to a greener and more climate-resilient Croatia–Serbia cross-border region. By combining regulatory analysis, digital innovation, pilot actions, capacity building and community engagement, WAVE will:
- Analyse the regulatory framework, key stakeholders and existing technical capacities for food surplus and food waste management in Šabac and Otok.
- Develop and pilot a joint model for the separate collection and conversion of food waste and waste cooking oil into renewable energy products.
- Equip public utility companies in Šabac and Otok with the infrastructure and tools needed to collect, separate and manage food waste more efficiently.
- Develop an enhanced digital platform that integrates food surplus prediction, automated matching, logistics coordination, waste tracking and renewable energy recovery management.
- Connect farmers, food distributors, HoReCa businesses, retailers, humanitarian organisations, public institutions and waste management operators.
- Support the redistribution and donation of edible food surplus while redirecting unavoidable food waste towards energy recovery.
- Provide workshops, training materials, user guides and practical demonstrations to support the uptake of the developed solutions.
- Promote replication of the WAVE model in other municipalities through policy dialogue, recommendations, round tables and dissemination activities.
Role of FSH
- Leads the development and implementation of the enhanced digital platform for food surplus and food waste management.
- Maps relevant stakeholders and assesses their needs in Šabac and Otok.
- Develops digital features for surplus prediction, automated matching, logistics coordination and renewable energy recovery.
- Coordinates platform testing with farmers, food businesses, distributors, humanitarian organisations and other end users.
- Provides training materials, workshops, online tutorials and user guides to support platform adoption.
- Contributes to the development of the joint food waste-to-energy model and the promotion and replication of project results.
Role of FSH
- 5 cross-border partners from Serbia and Croatia
- 2 pilot cities: Šabac in Serbia and Otok in Croatia
- 24 months of project implementation
- 1 jointly implemented pilot action for converting food waste into renewable energy
- 4 round tables, 1 study visit and 1 final dissemination conference
- 3,000 citizens reached through awareness-raising activities
- Up to 130 businesses, institutions, agricultural producers and waste management operators directly targeted through project activities