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© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    All ThemesCircular EconomyClimate ActionConnectivity & DigitizationCulture & CommunityEnergy & TransportGreen Finance & EconomyOcean & BiodiversityPolicy & GovernanceTourism & Remote WorkWater & Food
    Showing 9 of 100 news items in Circular Economy
    Transforming Hazardous Waste into a Circular Economy in the Caribbean
    Circular EconomyFebruary 25, 2026

    Transforming Hazardous Waste into a Circular Economy in the Caribbean

    Excerpt from iadb.org When people picture the Caribbean, they imagine white-sand beaches, clear blue seas, and vibrant communities—assets that also underpin the region’s economies. In 2022, services accounted for between 55% and 78% of total GDP in most countries, with tourism remaining the main economic activity and representing an average of 25.4% of regional GDP between 2015 and 2019. Protecting this natural capital through sustainable practices, including circular economy approaches to waste management, is therefore essential to preserve these vital services and sustain long-term economic prosperity. That is why the IDB Group partnered with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement the ISLANDS Program in the Caribbean, approved in 2021 and launched in 2022. This initiative brings together projects across ten Caribbean countries to strengthen waste management systems and advance a circular economy in the region. The program also aligns with the 2024 ONE Caribbean initiative, demonstrating how effective hazardous waste management contributes to climate mitigation, institutional strengthening, and inclusive development.

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    Pilot projects aim to break Indonesia’s habit of burning household waste
    Circular EconomyFebruary 25, 2026

    Pilot projects aim to break Indonesia’s habit of burning household waste

    Excerpt from news.mongabay.com When old mattresses and broken chairs are dumped by the roadside in his neighborhood, Erwinsyah faces a choice: leave them there and risk accidents, or set them on fire. The head of a neighborhood unit, or RT, in the city of Bogor, south of Jakarta, Erwinsyah says residents often discard bulky waste such as used spring beds and furniture along the street. Left unattended, they become an eyesore — and a hazard. “The mattresses are already dirty, smelly, full of rat droppings. So they just get placed by the roadside. But that’s an area where people pass by, children go to school,” Erwinsyah told Mongabay. “If a child walks past and it falls on them, then I’m the one who’ll get blamed as the head of the neighborhood unit.” To prevent that from happening, he sometimes burns the items in an empty field away from houses, staying to monitor the flames. What Erwinsyah describes isn’t unusual. Across Indonesia, open waste burning remains widespread despite being prohibited under the country’s 2008 Waste Management Law.

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    A model for the circular economy: this is how Gran Canaria overcomes the challenge of insularity in managing its waste
    Circular EconomyFebruary 18, 2026

    A model for the circular economy: this is how Gran Canaria overcomes the challenge of insularity in managing its waste

    Excerpt from elespanol.com Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and more than 1,000 kilometers from the peninsula , Gran Canaria manages the daily supply of its population and millions of visitors in an insular and fragmented territory. Dependence on imports (including water and vehicles), heavy maritime and air traffic, and intense tourist pressure – it receives almost four times more tourists per inhabitant than the Community of Madrid – make logistics, consumption, and sustainability permanent challenges. In this island context, where almost everything arrives by sea or air, waste management has become one of the key factors in ensuring the future of Gran Canaria .

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    Carrying African islands to the world stage: Inside the Ocean Hackathon Finals 2025
    Circular EconomyJanuary 15, 2026

    Carrying African islands to the world stage: Inside the Ocean Hackathon Finals 2025

    Excerpt from iucn.org Carrying African islands to the world stage: Inside the Ocean Hackathon Finals 2025 On a crisp winter morning in Brest, France, African island innovation stood proudly on the global stage. What began months ago as a bold idea within the IslandPlas project — had now reached the world’s largest Ocean Hackathon arena. By Genovefa Feksi The Ocean Hackathon is a fast-paced innovation event where teams come together (usually over 48 hours) to solve real-world ocean challenges using data, technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. This year, IUCN ESARO participated as a challenge owner, contributing data from the IslandPlas project. IslandPlas is a regional initiative working across seven African island states to better understand plastic waste systems; from what types of plastic are being used, to where they leak into the environment, who is affected, and what solutions are already emerging locally. The project generates much-needed evidence to guide policy, innovation, and community-led circular economy solutions. Representing IUCN as the Challenge Owner, I had the honour of supporting the Plasticity, the winning team using IUCN IslandPlas data from the Cape Town regional edition, as they presented at the Ocean Hackathon® Global Finals. Supported by IUCN teams across Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) and West and Central Africa (PACO) together with OceanHub Africa, the innovators refined a digital prototype designed to help island states track, verify, and repurpose PET waste using data, AI, and community engagement tools. Walking into the venue alongside nine outstanding teams from around the world, I felt the pride of our islands with me — from Cabo Verde, São Tomé & Príncipe, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Zanzibar.

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    Siháho’s Composting Model Professionalises Hotel Waste Management in the South of Gran Canaria
    Circular EconomyApril 6, 2026

    Siháho’s Composting Model Professionalises Hotel Waste Management in the South of Gran Canaria

    Excerpt and Photo from [maspalomas24h.uk](https://maspalomas24h.uk/Article/10519/Sihaho-professionalizes-composting-for-hotels-in-Maspalomas--Gran-Canaria) Environmental consultancy Siháho has made a strong impact on the Canary Islands' sustainability agenda with an announcement that places Maspalomas at the heart of its expansion. Following the successful launch this week of separate organic waste collection projects in San Miguel de Abona (Tenerife) and La Bañeza (León), the firm has confirmed its intention to bring this circular management model to Gran Canaria's main tourist destination. This initiative aims to transform waste management in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, where the management of waste from large hotel producers poses the real challenge to the destination's sustainability. The choice of Maspalomas is no coincidence. The consulting firm argues that the reality of 400-room hotels in the south of the island demands a technical approach that is entirely different from conventional rural models. While other areas focus on the prevalence of homes with gardens or orchards, in Gran Canaria's tourist epicenter, the emphasis shifts to the mass production of organic food in buffets and the use of plant waste in green spaces. Siháho aims to demonstrate that these establishments, due to their size and management capacity, are key players in transforming the circular economy from a mere slogan into a profitable practice. The rollout in Maspalomas will build on the experience gained in San Miguel de Abona, where the firm already collaborates with FCC, and in La Bañeza with Acciona. The key to success lies in specialization: an organic producer in León or Galicia cannot be treated the same as a top-tier accommodation facility in southern Gran Canaria. The consultancy emphasizes that the implementation analysis must be meticulous, adapting collection and composting services to the dynamics of a region that thrives on its environmental image but generates waste on an industrial scale.

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    No Bins, No Landfills: Why The World’s First Zero-Waste Island is Going Viral
    Circular EconomyApril 6, 2026

    No Bins, No Landfills: Why The World’s First Zero-Waste Island is Going Viral

    Excerpt and Photo from [travelandtourworld.com](https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/8fj8ba7obi4e/) Tilos and the wider Dodecanese region are increasingly attracting global attention as travelers seek environmentally conscious destinations focused on sustainability, nature, and low-impact tourism. Located in the southeastern Aegean Sea between Kos and Rhodes, Tilos has developed a strong international reputation for eco-tourism, renewable energy innovation, birdlife conservation, and protected natural landscapes. Unlike heavily commercialized Mediterranean resort destinations, Tilos has deliberately focused on sustainable development while preserving its mountainous landscapes, biodiversity, and quiet island atmosphere. Tourism professionals across Europe increasingly describe Tilos as one of Greece's leading eco-tourism islands due to its commitment to renewable energy, environmental protection, and responsible tourism practices.

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    Lanzarote hosts European workshops on waste management in islands
    Circular EconomyDecember 15, 2025

    Lanzarote hosts European workshops on waste management in islands

    Excerpt from lavozdelanzarote.com The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands Government inaugurated this Tuesday morning on the Islote de Fermina (Arrecife) the European workshop “Waste Management on Islands: Towards a Circular Model,” organized in collaboration with the Clean Energy for EU Islands project and framed within the community initiative “30 for 2030,” which supports 30 European islands—including La Graciosa and La Palma—in their plans towards energy independence based on 100% renewable sources. For two days, public officials, companies, organizations, national and international specialists, and interested individuals will **analyze the specific challenges of island territories in terms of waste, circular economy, and sustainability**, as well as the opportunities offered by the European framework for implementing innovative and replicable solutions.

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    'Circular seabird economy' critical for ocean, islands and people
    Circular EconomyNovember 10, 2025

    'Circular seabird economy' critical for ocean, islands and people

    Excerpt from oceanographicmagazine.com New light has been cast on one of nature’s most elegant feedback loops as scientists throw the spotlight on the role of seabirds as powerful connectors between ocean and land. In a groundbreaking global synthesis published today in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, researchers from Lancaster University have revealed how these marine wanderers shuttle nutrients across ecosystems and why protecting them could be a game-changer in tackling the triple planetary crises of climate change, ocean decline, and biodiversity loss. Led by Dr Holly Jones of Northern Illinois University, the research team – featuring scientists and conservation leaders from BirdLife International, The Nature Conservancy, Lancaster University, and Island Conservation – has introduced the concept of the ‘circular seabird economy’ – a natural process by which seabirds move nutrients from sea to land and back again, driving productivity and ecological resilience across entire landscapes.

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    Caribbean biodiversity fund launches circular economy projects
    Circular EconomySeptember 24, 2025

    Caribbean biodiversity fund launches circular economy projects

    Photo credit: tvincenttimes.com Excerpt from tvincenttimes.com The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) officially launched the implementation phase of projects funded, through its Advancing Circular Economy (ACE) Facility during a three-day Grantee Award and Inception Workshop, held from August 25–27, 2025 in Miami. The CBF’s Nature-Based Economies (NbE) Program was developed to support pollution reduction efforts in the Caribbean. The ACE Facility, a key initiative under the NbE Program, promotes marine litter management across the insular Caribbean. It works with public and private sector partners, as well as regional stakeholders, to fund practical projects that apply circular economy principles to minimize and prevent waste from entering the marine environment and, where possible, remove existing marine litter. “The launch of these projects represents a pivotal moment for the Caribbean,” said Karen McDonald Gayle, CEO of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund. “It’s about sustainably investing directly in tangible solutions that will not only reduce marine pollution but also foster resilient communities and create new economic opportunities across the region.”

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