REUSE4WILL in Cyprus: Turning Reuse and Recycling into Common European Actions

From 1st to 4th October 2026, Larnaca, Cyprus, hosted the Third International Event of REUSE4WILL, entitled “Common Actions for Reusing and Recycling”. The event was led by the Municipality of Wieliszew, Poland, project coordinator, and hosted by the Cypriot association BAMOS, bringing together partners from across Europe for four days of learning, exchange, volunteering and practical environmental action.

The meeting continued the work developed during the previous international events in Herrera del Duque, Spain, and Wieliszew, Poland, further strengthening the project’s European network while introducing a strong practical focus on reuse, recycling and environmental protection.

Discovering Cyprus through its communities and heritage

The event opened with an introduction to Larnaca, allowing international participants to discover the city, its history and its main landmarks. Beyond the cultural dimension, the programme provided an opportunity to experience Cyprus through its local communities, traditions and everyday life, creating informal spaces for participants from different countries to connect and exchange experiences.

The programme also included a visit to Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, where participants explored the city and its historical and cultural landmarks. These activities reinforced one of the central principles of REUSE4WILL: European cooperation is built not only through formal meetings, but also through getting to know the places, people and realities that make each community unique.

From awareness to action: cleaning the beach

A central moment of the event was the Beach Cleanup Workshop, an environmental volunteering activity carried out on the coast of Larnaca.

Participants worked together to collect waste from the beach, transforming a simple clean-up activity into an opportunity for reflection on the protection of the marine environment and the importance of responsible waste management.

The activity was supported by The Island Keeper, a local YouTuber who joined the participants and contributed to raising awareness of environmental issues and the importance of individual and collective action.

The beach clean-up demonstrated a key message of REUSE4WILL: volunteering can turn environmental awareness into visible, concrete action within the community.

Learning from local recycling practices

The environmental dimension continued with a visit to a Green Point in Dali, where participants learned about local systems for the collection and management of different types of materials.

The visit provided an opportunity to understand how waste can be separated, collected and given a new life, while also encouraging participants to compare local practices with approaches used in their own countries.

Sharing these experiences is an important part of the REUSE4WILL methodology. The project does not seek a single solution to environmental challenges, but rather creates a space where European partners can learn from one another and identify practices that could be adapted to different local contexts.

The REUSE4WILL Green Challenge: from discarded objects to new ideas

The core activity of the Cyprus event was the REUSE4WILL Green Challenge – “Common Actions for Reusing and Recycling”, an interactive international workshop designed to transform environmental challenges into practical volunteering initiatives.

Participants were divided into mixed international groups and presented with real discarded objects representing different waste streams. Starting from these objects, each group was challenged to develop a concrete volunteering initiative addressing reuse, recycling, environmental awareness and community engagement.

The activity encouraged participants to combine creativity, teamwork and European exchange. Rather than discussing environmental challenges only in theoretical terms, participants were asked to think about what could actually be done in their own communities: who could be involved, how volunteers could contribute, what resources would be needed and how an idea could be replicated locally.

The result was a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives, showing that different European communities may face similar challenges while also having different resources, traditions and approaches to addressing them.

Building a stronger European volunteering network

The Third International Event of REUSE4WILL was more than a series of activities focused on recycling. It was another step in building a solid European network of organisations and communities working together over the long term.

Across the three international events, REUSE4WILL has progressively connected volunteering with different dimensions of community life: environmental responsibility, civic participation, inclusion, solidarity and active citizenship.

The Cyprus meeting added another important element to this process: turning shared environmental concerns into common actions.

By working together across borders, participants strengthened their understanding that reuse and recycling are not only environmental practices. They are also opportunities to bring people together, encourage participation, develop volunteering opportunities and create a stronger sense of responsibility towards the communities in which we live.

Looking ahead

As the Third International Event has come to an end, participants returned to their communities with new ideas, experiences and connections to build upon. The experience in Cyprus confirmed the importance of creating spaces where European partners can learn from each other, experiment with practical solutions and transform local ideas into shared European actions.

REUSE4WILL will continue to work towards a more active, inclusive and environmentally responsible Europe, placing volunteering and citizen participation at the centre of this process.

From a discarded object to a new idea. From a local action to a European connection. From volunteering to lasting change.

REUSE4WILL continues its journey. Next stop: Ireland!

Stay connected with REUSE4WILL! Follow the project’s journey, discover the latest news and developments, explore the materials and ideas created by our European partners, and find out what comes next on our website https://eunetwork.my.canva.site/  and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589151474532

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