The professional jury of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) has officially selected and announced the finalists for the highly anticipated 2025 edition of the campaign. During an online meeting convened on April 16, a dedicated panel of environmental experts evaluated a remarkably competitive international field to shortlist the best initiatives. Out of more than 13,100 registered actions implemented across Europe, only 51 received official nominations, which were ultimately narrowed down to just 15 finalists. In a major milestone for Hungarian environmental protection and circular economy efforts, two domestic initiatives have reached the absolute top tier: MiReHu Nonprofit Kft. has been selected as a finalist in the Business/Industry category, while Edit Mária Bóka is representing Hungary in the Citizen(s) category. The ultimate winners will be revealed at a prestigious awards ceremony in Brussels on June 4.
The Massive Scale of the Campaign and the Rigorous Selection Process
According to the official communication from the EWWR, the foundation of the 2025 awards was the 17th edition of the European Week for Waste Reduction, which took place in November. During this massive international environmental awareness event, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, public administrations, and private enterprises organized and executed over 13,100 distinct waste reduction actions.
From this vast pool of initiatives, national and regional EWWR coordinators carefully selected just 51 outstanding nominations to be forwarded to the international jury. The expert panel was then tasked with the difficult responsibility of selecting the absolute top 15 finalists—identifying exactly three standout projects for each of the five official categories.
To ensure strict objectivity, the jury’s evaluation was based on four precise and rigorous criteria:
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Communication and visibility of the initiative;
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Quality of the content provided;
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Originality of the concept and execution;
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Long-lasting impact and follow-up of the action.
Outstanding Hungarian Success in Two Highly Competitive Categories
Based on the strict scoring system, two Hungarian projects successfully secured their places among the final 15, proving the European competitiveness of domestic waste management innovations and individual environmental consciousness.
In the Business / Industry category, MiReHu Nonprofit Kft., a waste management company operating in Miskolc, earned its place in the top three. The company deeply impressed the professional reviewers with its targeted project titled “WEEE’ll Be Back” (WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). In this highly competitive corporate bracket, the Hungarian firm will be competing for the final victory against two established Italian energy and utility companies: Gruppo Iren – Eduiren with their action “All the Actions Implemented by Iren for SERR 2025 – There Is a Future in WEEE”, and A2A S.p.A. with their “AMSA RAEE-Lab Project”.
In the Citizen(s) category, Hungary is proudly represented by Edit Mária Bóka, who advanced to the final round with her remarkable individual campaign titled “Healthy Planet”. Her competitors in this civic section include Margaret Cutajar with her project “Denim Reborn – Upcycling Discarded Textiles into Functional Bags”, and Letizia Palmisano, whose initiative is titled “Treasure Hunt Lessons: A WEEE Mine in Your Home”.
An Overview of the International Finalists in Other Categories
In the remaining three categories, the following European projects will be competing to win the creative and circular EWWR trophy:
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Public Administration or Organisation: The finalists include the Navarra Waste Consortium from Spain (“I Don’t Hide Myself, I’m Transparent”), the Câmara Municipal de Guimarães from Portugal (“Semana Europeia de Prevenção de Resíduos 2025”), and the Provincial Council of Álava from Spain (“V Edition of the Campaign MUCHO MÁS DE LO QUE VES – Reconecta, Reduce, Reutiliza”).
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Association / NGO: The selected top three are the Greek organization ELECTROCYCLE (“Learn, Act, Live Better”), another Greek initiative by FOTOKIKLOSI (“Let’s Focus on Electrical and Electronic Waste Equipment (WEEE)”), and the MATER Ontzi Museo Ekoaktiboa (“ZERO ZABOR URETAN 2025 Act”).
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Educational Establishment: The educational finalists are Fundación Escuela Revillagigedo alongside CIFP de Hostelería y Turismo de Gijón from Spain (“Disconnecting Waste, Connecting Youth with the Circular Economy”), the Experimental Senior High School of the University of Macedonia from Greece (“Give It a Second Life”), and an initiative by Bertine Wijffelaars (“Race Against Waste”).
The Brussels Awards Ceremony and EU Green Week
These 15 outstanding initiatives will be officially presented during a high-level conference organized at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels on June 4, at 2 PM CET. During this event, experts, citizens, associations, and institutional leaders will share the stage across a series of panels to explore key elements capable of making a real, tangible impact in reducing waste.
Significantly, this year’s EWWR Awards will take place concurrently with EU Green Week. This major environmental conference features a highly dynamic program that breaks the traditional mold, combining panel discussions, TED-style talks, cinema nights, and dedicated startup-investor matchmaking events. The Green Week will focus heavily on how nature-positive models work in actual practice, highlighting profitable farming, soil health, greening cities, and innovative financing designed to reverse rural flight.
The Professional Jury Behind the Decisions
Every year, the European Coordinator assembles an expert EWWR Jury composed of high-level practitioners working across different sectors of environmental sustainability. The 2025 panel included:
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Sergio Pérez García from the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), evaluating the Public Administration category;
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Paolo Campanella representing FEAD, responsible for the Business/Industry category;
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Giulia Lodi from Zero Waste Europe, evaluating the Association/NGO category;
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Rianne Driessen from Saxion University, overseeing the Educational Establishment category.
The ultimate winner of the Citizens category will be officially represented and awarded during the Brussels ceremony by Frederik Ceulemans, Alderman of Brussels City.
Reference and Official Source:
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Original Press Release: The European Week for Waste Reduction Jury selects the finalists of the 2025 edition (ewwr.eu)