Project Dates

Start: 2011

The Story

Tiganokinisi is an environmental education and waste-to-energy project that collects used cooking oil (UCO) and helps to convert
it into clean biodiesel. Through this programme, implemented in over 500 schools across Cyprus, students learn how UCO can
be transformed into biodiesel, and schools gain resources for environmental education and support of their environmental
infrastructure. Piloted in 2011 in 10 schools and expanded nationwide in 2013, the project uses real-world, hands-on learning to
teach circular economy principles and sustainable practices. Used cooking oil is recycled and the revenues reinvested in schools
to implement green technologies, advancing the goal of sustainable schools. Young people, who are more open to adopting
environmentally conscious behaviours, play a central role in driving change, influencing families and communities. Local
authorities and businesses also contribute oil, strengthening public engagement. Tiganokinisi combines education, climate action,
and technological creativity, encouraging students to design their own eco-solutions – digital or physical – through experimentation
and innovation.

Success Factor | Hero Moment

The turning point for Tiganokinisi came when it successfully connected circular economy with education, the hands-on activites of

more than 80,000 school children per year, covering 93% of the schools of Cyprus!

Submitter

AKTI Project and Research Centre