Burning waste in cement kilns is a widespread practice, but what is its impact on citizens’ health and the environment?
The story Calusco d’Adda shows how waste-based fuels can increase pollutants emissions with significant effects on human health.

Available in: English.

Fifteen years ago Sardinia was Italy’s worst performing region in waste management. Today, it is the best performing island in the Mediterranean. Who said Zero Waste cannot work in tourist destinations?

Available in: English. Other languages coming soon!

Located in Eastern France, the city of Besançon has rolled out an extensive system of decentralized composting, managing to cover 70% of its population and to significantly reduce the waste sent for disposal. Learn how they did it!

Available in: English, French, Slovenian and Italian. Other languages coming soon!

Lacking the power to implement waste collection and management practices, Roubaix had to find new ways to transition to zero waste. The Town is addressing waste at source, by creating a vibrant constellation of actors committed to reducing their waste, including families, schools and businesses.

Available in: English and Hungarian. More languages coming soon!

In the North of Italy, the City of Parma presents a vivid example of a transition from traditional waste management to Zero Waste in only 4 years. The key for their success: political will, involvement of civil society and a strategy based on minimising residual waste.

Available in: Catalan, English, French, Polish & Slovenian. Other languages coming soon!

The province of Gipuzkoa, in Spanish Basque Country, has managed to almost double their recycling rates in 4 years. In 2011 they struggled to meet EU targets and now they are above the 2020's goals and intend to keep improving.

Gipuzkoa still has a long way till Zero Waste, but is already proving that laggards can move very quickly. Do you want to know how?

Available in: Catalan, English & Polish. Other languages coming soon!



The Slovenian capital is the first capital in Europe to declare the Zero Waste goal and in 2014 separately collected 61% of its municipal waste. The city has committed to halving the amount of residuals and increasing separate collection to 78% by 2025.

How did Ljubljana manage to become EU's best performing capital when 10 years ago had barely started implementing separate collection?

Available in: Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, English, Slovenian & Polish. Other languages coming soon!

The public company Contarina serves the districts of Priula and Treviso in Northern Italy, the best performers in waste prevention and recycling in a wide area in Europe. What is the secret for Contarina to recycle two times the European average and generate five times less residual waste? This and more you will find out in this case study

Available in: Bulgarian, Catalan, English, French, Italian, Polish, Slovenian and Spanish. Other languages coming soon!

In a country that until 2001 had no national targets for separate collection of waste, the case of the small municipality of Vrhnika in Slovenia shows how a community can make strides towards a Zero Waste objective in a short time.

How did this small area go from landfilling everything to recycling most of its MSW in 20 years?

Available in: Bulgarian, Catalan, English, Euskera, French, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian, Spanish.