Hazards Out | Workshop 5

Join us on 03 June 2026, 11:00 CET for an engaging conversation on how citizen communication can strengthen household hazardous waste (HHW) separate collection!

Building on the momentum of the previous Hazards Out workshops, this fifth session turns to a question that sits at the heart of every collection scheme: how do we get citizens to understand, trust, and actively take part in the separate collection of HHW?

Workshop 5 – Citizen Communication for Better Household Hazardous Waste Separate Collection will bring together local and regional authorities, waste management operators, industry, academia, and NGOs to share experiences and explore practical approaches for engaging citizens. This workshop will examine:

• Centralised and coordinated approaches to organising local HHW collection events, including lessons from experience in Ireland;
• Awareness-raising through incentives, gamification, and voucher schemes, illustrated by a pilot campaign on the safe return of lithium-ion batteries;
• Research insights into citizens’ perceptions and behaviours around HHW, and the barriers that keep people from sorting correctly;
• Practical considerations for designing clear, accessible, and convenient communication campaigns that drive genuine citizen participation.

The session will also be an opportunity to present the Hazards Out Joint Declaration on the Effective Separate Collection and Management of Household Hazardous Waste, setting out key principles to support HHW collection systems across Europe.

Participants will benefit from first-hand insights from public authorities, industry, and researchers, and will have the chance to join an open discussion on how to make citizen engagement in HHW collection more effective and consistent across different national contexts.