Álava Provincial Government, Gamesa Gearbox - the company from Mungia -, the MATER Ecoactive Museum Boat in Pasaia, and the Mendizabal VET Centre in Vitoria-Gasteiz were the winning entries of the European Week for Waste Reduction 2025 that was held last November; they will represent the Basque Country in the initiative’s European final in June 2026.

The Basque Deputy Minister for the Environment, Josu Bilbao, today presented the diplomas to the four winning entries during a ceremony held in Lakua (Vitoria-Gasteiz); the award was collected by Saray Zárate Fernández de Landa (Álava Provincial Government), José Luis Herrero (Gamesa Gearbox), Izaskun Suberbiola (Mater) and Marce Espinosa (Mendizabala VET Centre).

These four projects were chosen from among the 148 actions rolled out in the Basque Country last November 

The Deputy Minister stressed that the accolade has a ‘special meaning’ as it allows a ‘face and name’ to be put to specific projects, which show that waste prevention is steadily becoming a reality from very different fields. ‘Your initiatives show that waste prevention is a shared task and leads to real and lasting changes, when approached from creativity, collaboration and commitment,’ added Josu Bilbao. 

Winning entries

In the Public Administrations category, Álava Provincial Government was the winner with the ‘Re-Viste tu Mente’ [Re-Dressing Your Mind] initiative. It seeks to provide a comprehensive response to the growing problem of textile waste, by combining actions to raise social awareness and tips for reusing it.

The winner of the Business and Industry category was Gamesa Gearbox, a company based in Mungia, whose entry was an internal awareness-raising campaign aimed at fostering waste prevention and the proper management of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

In turn, the MATER Ecoactive Museum Boat took the NGO category for the Zero Zabor Uretan initiative; an action to raise awareness about marine waste and which was rolled out over a large area, as the boat visited eight ports along the Basque coast and the initiative was taken to nine municipalities.

Under the tagline ‘Turn on the value, turn off the waste!’, the European Week for Waste Reduction sought to highlight waste as resources and the correct management of waste electrical and electronic equipment

Finally, Mendizabala VET Centre, in the Educational Establishment category, was the winner for its ‘Política activa de reutilización y solidaridad’ [Active Reuse and Solidarity Policy] initiative. The centre set up a system to redistribute furniture and electronic and electrical equipment, where the priority is on reuse and avoiding their premature disposal.

European Commission Initiative

The 17th European Week for Waste Reduction, held last November, focused on the generation and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), as it is the fastest growing waste fraction in the European Union. During the week, over 13,000 actions were rolled out in all EU Member States, aimed at encouraging reducing, repairing and reusing this type of waste. 

The European Week for Waste Reduction – managed by Ihobe, the environmental management agency, in the Basque Country – is a leading European initiative; its aim is to showcase exemplary waste initiatives, encourage social engagement and progress towards more sustainable production and consumption models.