The WANO Project

WANO (Waste Management in High North - new cross-border opportunities) is a research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR), which runs from 2021 to 2024. WANO focuses on cross-border business and innovation cooperation in the field of waste management, including municipal and industrial waste, in the regions of Troms, Finnmark and Nordland (Norway), Lapland and North Ostrobothnia (Finland) and Norrbotten (Sweden). WANO identifies key actors, technologies, innovation trends, and cross-border collaboration possibilities in the Arctic waste sector.

The Arctic region, characterized by harsh climate conditions, vast distances as well as smaller markets and volumes of waste, emphasizes the need for innovative solutions in the Northern waste management sector. WANO supports waste management companies in addressing technological challenges of sustainable waste processing including incineration, reuse/recycling, use of energy as well as transport. The WANO project also recognizes the importance of cooperation with local communities to ensure social acceptance and understanding when it comes to new, innovative waste management processes. Moreover, the project establishes sustainable business-to-business and business-to-research contacts and networks.

Project partners:

NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS is the coordinator of the WANO project. NORCE is one of Norway’s largest independent research institutes with long-term experience in Arctic research. Within its Regional Development Group in Tromsø in north Norway, NORCE contributes to the sustainable development of societies and key business sectors in the Nordic Arctic regions. From NORCE, Jukka Teräs, Helge Flick and Anders Lind participate in the WANO project. Professor Trond Nilsen  from the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences acts as scientific advisor for the group. 

Nordregio is an applied research institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers with experience in Nordic and Arctic regional development issues. Nordregio is located in Stockholm, Sweden and contributes to the WANO project with knowledge and experience on the Arctic as well as Nordic benchmarking experience. Timothy Heleniak is the Nordregio contact person of WANO.

Remiks Miljøpark AS, owned by the municipalities of Tromsø and Karlsøy, is the main waste management operator in the Tromsø area in north Norway. Remiks handles approximately 69 000 tons of waste per year, including waste from Svalbard, Troms, and northern Nordland, serving about 77 000 inhabitants. The company is organized under two main areas of operation: household and enterprise waste. From Remiks, Øivind Østbø is the contact person of WANO.   

Hålogaland Ressursselskap IKS (HRS) is a waste management and recycling company owned by 8 municipalities in the northern part of Nordland and southern Troms in northern Norway. The company, with headquarter in Narvik, provides daily waste management services to 60 000 inhabitants and it is a significant regional actor in the corporate waste market, too. The company handles more than 100 000 tons of annual waste. From HRS, Line Dalhaug is the contact person of WANO.