| | | | Getting ready for summer, dear Reader? | | | As the days get longer, our movement keeps pushing forward. From Hungarian villages sharing resources to bio-waste research delivering breakthroughs, this June newsletter shows the real zero waste progress happening across Europe. Dive into our stories— and share the ones that inspire you most!
| | | | | | | | | | | One kayaking trip at a time: cleaning up the Brussels Canal with City to Sea | |
Last week, the Zero Waste Europe team swapped out the screens for a different kind of team building moment in the heart of Brussels, meeting up at the city's canal with the local NGO City to Ocean. With the aim of cleaning up and greening the Brussels canal, City to Ocean arranges weekly kayaking trips for volunteers to explore the waterway while fishing out trash, raising awareness of how littering, single-use waste, and sewage overflow is destroying the potential for any kind of aquatic life in the canal.
After 40 minutes on the water, the team had collected a peculiar collection of trash, ranging from a large number plastic bags, soda bottles, and styrofoam to car insurance booklets, lip balm, and even a pair of running shoes. However, despite our pride in collecting more than 10 kilos of waste, the issue of prevention and proper waste management came into sharp relief when a double mattress floated down the canal as we were weighing our trash.
While we continue our systemic mission to reduce waste at the source, we are grateful for projects like City to Ocean, who not only create local change and raise awareness, but also give people hope that things can change for the better—just like the Brussels canal.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | #LIFEBIOBEST: 2.5 years of bio-waste research comes to an end | | Earlier this month, the LIFE BIOBEST project concluded with a final event and celebration in Brussels, bringing together 60+ stakeholders to showcase achievements and chart the future of European bio-waste management. With 60-70% of European soils currently classified as unhealthy and only 26% of EU kitchen waste successfully collected, the project has delivered practical decision-making tools, quality standards, and comprehensive guidance available across all EU member states.
But the real impact lies ahead: together with the Consortium, ZWE is working to position the project's findings to influence upcoming legislative opportunities—particularly the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and proposed Circular Economy Act—which could finally mainstream bio-waste solutions at the scale Europe desperately needs. The pathway from policy to practice exists—lawmakers just need to seize this moment.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Humusz: In the village of Ipolytölgyes, sharing is caring | | In the small Hungarian village of Ipolytölgyes, our member Humusz is showcasing how rural communities can tackle waste and inequality through one brilliant initiative in this new blog. The "Long Ladder" project is a municipal rental service that lends everything from shovels to kayaks, crutches to event tables—meaning residents no longer need to buy expensive items they'll rarely use.
Running successfully for five years, this community-first approach has won the 2023 Grand Prize of the SozialMarie social innovation award, with Mayor Bertalan Radnai noting that "solidarity and sustainability, not private ownership, can be the backbone of a local economy." As rural communities across Europe search for solutions to retain residents and cut waste, Ipolytölgyes offers a simple, scalable blueprint for resource sharing.
| | | | World Refill Day: European cities prove refill works | | To mark World Refill Day on 16 June, cities across the ERIC project (Elevating Reuse in Cities) are demonstrating real progress on refill systems. In Viladecans, Catalonia, our member Rezero supported the "Fes un pas, porta l'envàs" campaign where 82 shops and 115 families prevented 8,504 disposable items in just 3 months. Meanwhile, our member Zero Waste Italy is supporting Carmignano, Tuscany, in promoting bulk shopping and Bring Your Own (BYO) practices at the weekly market, offering free courses to help shopkeepers embrace sustainable practices. These cities—and many more—prove that refill and reuse systems work when communities, businesses, and local authorities collaborate—offering a practical blueprint for cities across Europe looking to tackle packaging waste at the source. | | Ekologi brez meja: Slashing food waste in restaurants | | Our Slovenian member Ekologi brez meja (EBM) has launched "The Plate 12.3: Guidelines for reducing food waste in restaurants" (in EN)—Slovenia's first comprehensive guide tackling a sector that generates 56,000 tons of food waste annually, representing a third of the country's total. Through pilot projects, participating restaurants achieved 6-18% reductions simply through monitoring or measuring, with some cutting waste by up to 30% in one month using practical measures like smaller portions and better menu planning. The guidelines offer actionable strategies from sustainable menu design to staff training, drawing on good practices from zero waste-certified Slovenian pioneers and international examples.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Waste incineration under the EU ETS – an assessment of climate benefits (2025 update) | | | Joint letter on the restriction of PVC and its additives under REACH | | | | | Joint letter on the inclusion of waste incinerators and landfills in the EU ETS | | | Joint letter on advancing the European Parliament’s Plenary vote on the revised Waste Framework Directive | | | | | | | | | | | arte.tv: Slovenia: Bled, Europe's first zero-waste city | | | | | | | | Zero Waste Europe gratefully acknowledges financial assistance from the European Union: Commission Directorate General (DG) Environment. The sole responsibility for the content of this newsletter lies with Zero Waste Europe. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the funder mentioned above. The funder cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. | | | | Copyright © 2024 Zero Waste Europe, all rights reserved.
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