The main objective of SWAP NOW was to reduce household waste within the 2 seas area and to improve the ways of dealing with litter and fly-tipping. There are coastal areas involved in this project that are affected by litter. Waste management is a common concern of each one of the regions in the programme area. Waste is a cross border problem asking for a joint approach. Not only do all partners (as well as other European regions) benefit from waste reduction, the environment also undoubtedly gains by it: less waste reduces the negative impact on air and water and contributes to the durable use of the environment’s natural resources.



Another aim of SWAP NOW was to improve the way we communicate with our residents around waste prevention using innovative new methods, technologies and channels based upon the experiences of our project partners or via pilot schemes. The partners wanted to ensure that the ways in which they communicated were appropriate for residents in order for them to reduce their waste that is eventually sent to landfill within the working area of the partners. The way in which the partners engage with residents ultimately decides the success or failure of any of the partners' Waste Prevention ambitions.

Management & coordination:
- Steering group committees and technical group meetings are organised twice a year according to plan and before the final conference in September 2014.
- A close follow up on the budget was necessary by all partners especially in preparation of the major modifications. Lead partner followed up.

Communication:
- Final conference is organised to disseminate the results of the project and to communicate on the programme.
- 3 Newsletters external (+ internal newsletters) send to large partner networks
- Update of the website on the website by IMOG.
- communication in the different activities Diftar web, road shows, app for complaints in UK, mobiles on the local markets...
- Imog designed the logo of SWAP NOW and hosted the project website. Imog communicated about the project through press conferences, the external newsletter of Imog, website, Waste Paper. Imog participated at the event 'Social inclusion' on 21th of September 2012 and presented the SWAP NOW-project. Imog gave a presentation at the final conference in September 2014 and hosted a project meeting in June 2013.

Activity 1: - communication survey (how can we reach our target groups in the best way), training session for social economy organisations (clean region, cleanliness barometer, sorting rules), development of a waste mobile and the composting mobile of Imog was base for composting mobile of IOK, Imog professionalized the way to host visitors (fixed education room, update company movie, information boards on the site, digital notice boards at reception and dispatch) and spread 30.000 bread bags with waste prevention tips in the region.

Activity 2: IMOG purchased digital notice boards at reception on site in Harelbeke and dispatch on site in Moen with announcements for visitors and waste prevention messages. Imog developed a management tool for complaints called 'Meldpunt' to register, solve and follow up complaints about waste collection, litter and fly-tipping.

Management & Coordination:
- every reporting period at least 1 steering group committee was organised. Within the member states more bilateral meetings were organised.
- partners always did reporting of the project on time to the JTS.
Communication:
- project house layout with logo and newspaper template.
- website managed by IMOG.
- internal and external newsletters with information on the project.
Activity 1:
- The communication survey was finished at Flanders and share with the partners.
- Mobiles are purchased and designed at IOK, IMOG and WSCC. (Education room at IMOG with info from WSCC)
- The West Sussex Volunteer Waste Prevention Advisor scheme started in 2007 and, being relaunched as part of SWAP NOW, we now have more active volunteers than ever before. It is also enabling us to carry out more events, more often - over 100 in 2014 along. This extra capacity largely through SWAP NOW resulted in over 950 Volunteers Activity and Training hours around Waste Prevention in 2014.

Activity 2:
- Diftar Web was introduced in the municipalities as IOK WM working area that uses Diftar. Knowledge changed with the partners.
- Programme of complaints
- IOK used and evaluated the use of the LED screen.
- WSCC and Adur tested on the use of social media towards its volunteers and residents.
Activity 3:
- Neigbourhood Champions at Adur and IMOG (social initiative of Team Rudy)
- 1 organisation signed up / 49 residents have taken part in cleanup activities as of the Neighbourhood Champions scheme / 14 residents signed up to reporting environmental issues. The Equipment has been lent out more than 1100 volunteers engaged through the project period, overall reduction in fly tipping incidents by 41% since 2011 . 11 clean-ups undertaken. Leaflet created for the Neighbourhood agreement.
- Imog organised cleanups with Team Rudy and Adur & Worthing with volunteers.
- trainings for volunteers are organised.

For IOK and IMOG the target group was and is very clear. All their local authorities and municipalities benefitted directly from the communication survey for example as they could use the outcomes in their own strategies. The cleanups organised in their streets, the digital upgrade done in the project via programme of complaints and diftar web.

Indirect beneficiaries are the residents, social enterprises for the clean ups, the national, regional and local authorities on the outcomes of the projects to improve their own communication strategies. Especially the joined communication survey which gave new ideas for all organisations working towards the same targets on communication for waste prevention.IOK and IMOG reached more and other citizens who benefitted because they understand better about how to prevent waste and earn money.For Adur & Worthing particular emphasis was put on undertaking clean-ups and recruiting volunteers from our priority wards in Durrington and Eastbrook through the Neighbourhood Action Plans.

The NAP initiative brings together local services, community and voluntary groups, businesses and residents, to identify their concerns and priorities and include them in a plan for the neighbourhood. Benefits are cleaner environment and greater community involvement in keeping areas clean and tidy.

The Volunteer network at West Sussex engages directly with their beneficiaries - i.e. our residents. Following the launch of the Volunteer Scheme and new recruitment campaign, residents could interact with Volunteers at over 100 events in 2014 and were provided with over 950 hours of possible volunteer contact - a level of engagement far beyond what West Sussex Council could normally expect to achieve. It is difficult to put a figure on how many people were engaged at the 100+ events. 4 locations were provided with Ridan composters.

The important impact from the project is that the partnership provided low threshold communication methods to implement for any other organisation with the same goal of waste prevention and raising awareness of citizens. These organisations will be able to reach more citizens and residents not reached before.

Volunteers of the partners will feel more respected as the project adapted tools for them to be more and more professional in their work, to become ambassadors of the larger organisations.

Social initiatives will keep on playing an important role in the cleanliness of the neighbourhoods of IMOG what will give more appreciations towards this vulnerable group.

For Adur Council the outcomes are cleaner, tidier Neighbourhoods. Residents are aware of the role of the organisation and what role they can play in keeping their neighbourhoods clean and tidy. The Council has capacity, through the equipment provided through swap now, to assist community groups and residents to contribute towards tidy neighbourhoods.

WSCC better understand how to communicate Waste Prevention messages to residents across a large geographical area. Peer-to-peer communication, education (e.g. using volunteers) is far more effective than the usual top-down methods employed in the past. Using volunteers to communicate messages around waste prevention ensures that we can stimulate long term behavior change. Residents appreciate the face to face interaction that our volunteers can provide in an informal environment.

Communication strategies will be upgraded and more effective. Eg. IOK WM already changed their waste newspaper after SWAP NOW with positive feedback from their municipalities and citizens.

Due to education room developed in SWAP NOW Imog reaches the citizens in a more professional way when they come to visit Imog and with a higher educational value. Every year we host about 5000 visitors.

The partners have been able to share good practice and information eg. Adur provided IMOG with some information on the cleanliness best value indication.

The partners in SWAP NOW were / are closely aligned in their area of work - i.e. Waste Prevention / Waste Management. Partners are all at different stages and process of this common theme - but the theme is the same. By considering how each other have approached similar tasks has allowed us to apply this learnt knowledge into what we do. Sometimes it can be applied, sometimes not but when it is, WSCC is confident that their activities are better quality for their residents thanks to the experience that they have learned from their partners. The other partners will also have been able to learn from West Sussex and that their activities and services benefit too as a result.

Also the education room wouldn't be achieved without the cross border cooperation. The education room of West Sussex was a trigger for Imog to professionalize the way to host their visitors. Also the set up of the volunteers should not be an issue without the ideas and input from Adur & Worthing. Thanks to the project Imog and IOK were able to improve their communication to the citizens via a communication survey.

Synergies
There was an exchange between SWAP NOW and INSPIRER and this exchange resulted in an cluster project CONGREEN and can in the future lead to further cooperation for new projects. Because of the experience in SWAP NOW IMOG was also contacted to join the cluster project TASTE 2SEAS.

The way in which organisations need to communicate with residents has significantly changed with the growth of online and electronic channels. However, traditional channels still exist and, in many cases, still preferred by the public. How we manage our Waste has become far more sophisticated and therefore, messages to residents have become more complicated. SWAP NOW has taught us how best to communicate these messages and that these messages are best communicated via Volunteers at local level rather than simply a ‘top down’ approach that we now is ineffective.



If we did SWAP NOW again, we would perhaps look at more informal interaction between partners. The online Linkedin discussions for the CONGREEN cluster initiated by the lead partner were very useful. This sort of online discussion around pre-agreed ideas, themes could be expanded.

Most of the achievements and results will be maintained in the future. E.g. the education mobiles and rooms will be used in the future to keep on reaching the residents. The programmes of complaints and Diftar web is running.



The activities are the start of building cleaner neighbourhoods for Adur and Worthing. E.g. the equipment purchased will be used to help facilitate further clean-ups in the future.



The Volunteer Waste Prevention Advisors Scheme is now fully back up and running with more active Volunteers delivering more workshops. This network is the primary mechanism through which West Sussex delivers its Waste Prevention Education. The scheme is recruiting again for more volunteers and, following SWAP NOW, we expect to deliver even more events and workshops through our volunteers in 2015 and beyond. The Committed Recyclers Project was a success but it gave us more insight into what follow-up research and pilot actions could be applied. The learning from this project will help shape future work and has provided the evidence base for future activities. The Wastebuster Schools Education Programme is set to expand now that we have a trained volunteer base in place able to deliver it. We are already starting to see more schools coming forward to book sessions via Eco-Clubs and Assemblies. By engaging with school children in the way, the results of this early years education will pay dividends over the longer term.’

Out of SWAP NOW the cluster project CONGREEN was established (Congreen already finished) and there are preparation meetings with the SWAP NOW partners and other partners for new projects in Interreg V.

Links on social media have made it easy to stay in touch with partners in SWAP NOW. The partners are continuing to share best practice after the project including a discussion on recycling rates.

We have found working with our partners extremely useful - we feel we have been able to take elements of their experience and expertise and build this into our Project Activities. As the Project Partners for SWAP NOW had common ground, this has proven to be and continued to be the case during the course of the project and now.

West Sussex County Council would like to pursue future EU funding and again, there are possibilities for working with our SWAP NOW partners again. At present WSCC are putting together their project ideas in conjunction with IOK and IMOG.

The partnership will go steps further in future project to really implement knowledge captures during SWAP NOW.

The education room is a very visible result of the project at IMOG. It is used to host every year about 5000 visitors. Everything that has to do with 'clean region' will be self-financed. After the project IMOG wants to keep alive different results such as the education room, the management tool for complaints, the cleanliness barometer, the volunteers, but also will use the results of the communication survey in their further communication strategy such as IOK will also do. They also changed the layout of their Waste Newspaper for the future using the input of the survey conducted in SWAP NOW.

IOK Waste Management will use Diftar web for their focused communication to the citizens. They already do this for example when they have to inform citizens of a certain street that the collection cannot be done, messages will be sent via Diftar Web.

Adur Council is looking to consolidate the work they have undertaken as well as looking to continuing the partnership to build on the success of the programme.

WSCC are looking at future Cooperation Projects. The authority has noted the work of the SWAP NOW projects and has endorsed the Waste Prevention Team to look for possible further cross-border working. Working alongside one of our District Councils in this project - Adur & Worthing - has demonstrated the value of cross-boder working to our other District & Boroughs. We hope to be able to include them within a future project. Some of the activity strands developed within SWAP NOW will be continued outside if EU funded projects if required due to their operational value to West Sussex County Council.