Bissau Limpu
EuropeAID
In 2025, EStà is involved in Guinea Bissau with the Bissau Limpu project, an international cooperation initiative on waste management and the circular economy.
The project, funded by EuropeAID of the European Commission, is being developed in the capital Bissau in collaboration with ACRA, Mani Tese, Engineers Without Borders and the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Bissau Limpu
EuropeAID
The objective
To improve the local waste management system, with a specific focus on education, data collection and the promotion of the circular economy.
EStà, in particular, is responsible for training teachers and students to carry out a participatory field survey and produce an updated overview of the current situation and opportunities for sustainable development and employment.
The method: civic technology and participation
EStà’s activities follow a methodology that has already been tested in African contexts such as Casamance in Senegal. This civic technology is divided into four main phases, each supported by specific digital and methodological tools:
1. Mapping and participatory survey
Students – aged between 13 and 16 – are involved in an environmental education programme that leads them to collect data in their neighbourhoods using smartphones or tablets and an application suitable for offline use.
With the support of teachers and older tutors, the students administer a questionnaire to families and small businesses, gathering information on behaviours related to waste production and disposal.
This phase not only produces valuable data, but also has a strong educational and awareness-raising impact on both the students involved and their families and communities.
2. Calculation and scenario planning
Once the data has been collected, EStà analyses it using a calculation system that allows it to:
- measure the quantities of waste produced, broken down by type and destination,
- estimate the current economic value of waste management,
- assess the environmental impact (in terms of CO₂ equivalent),
- identify the economic and employment potential with a view to increasing recycling and reuse.
3. Facilitation and discussion with decision-makers
The results of the analysis are summarised in clear and visually effective infographics to facilitate dialogue with public decision-makers.
EStà contributes to the organisation of round tables between administrators, technicians and local actors, where the results, opportunities and obstacles to improving the system are discussed.
4. Connecting circular economy actors
With the support of EStà, local partners conduct a field survey to identify and connect the main actors in the recycling chains (organic, hard plastic, aluminium).
Through interviews and mapping, a picture of the existing situation and development potential is built up, with the aim of strengthening connections between those involved in the collection, sorting and processing of materials.
Bissau Limpu
EuropeAID
EStà carried out its first mission in April 2025, when, thanks to the support of ACRA staff on site, it had the opportunity to visit the neighbourhoods and schools involved in the project and to carry out training activities in the field to prepare for data collection.
The topics covered in these sessions were:
- environmental education (climate change, circular economy),
- participation in surveys (civic participation and active citizenship initiatives,
participatory mapping and data collection), - raising awareness of behavioural change (waste management, separate collection, reuse and recycling practices).
The Bissau Limpu project is a concrete example of how international cooperation can combine education, technology and participation to generate knowledge, awareness and new opportunities for sustainable employment.
EStà is proud to contribute to this process with its experience and expertise, promoting an approach that focuses on people, data and the local area.
