The eco crèches project in Brussels is replacing disposable nappies with washable, reusable ones, an innovative solution that could prevent millions of nappies from ending up in incinerators. With 40 crèches set to go fully reusable by 2027, this project will save 1,400 tonnes of CO2, while reducing waste and improving babies’ skin health.
Dive into the factsheet to discover how simple changes, like using reusable nappies, are transforming municipal childcare with zero-waste solutions, and why it’s a model worth replicating.
Factsheet available in English, French, and Dutch.
The global fashion industry has seen unprecedented growth in recent decades, leading to staggering amounts of textile waste being discarded: 16 kg of textile waste per EU citizen each year.
The surge in fast fashion consumption has created significant environmental and social challenges, particularly at the local level, where cities are grappling with mounting textile waste and the subsequent economic cost and environmental pollution. Moreover, as of 2025, municipalities are obliged to separately collect textile waste, presenting a significant challenge given the current insufficient textile collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling capacities in much of Europe.
This paper looks at the measures that cities can take to tackle the challenges of fast fashion. To address the problem, some cities are beginning to explore the concept of sufficiency, furthering consumption and human well-being within planetary boundaries.
Full report available in English.
Executive summary, and infographic available in English, Slovenian, and Estonian.
In Slovakia, the municipality of Partizánske developed an innovative bio-waste programme by actively involving the community and bringing waste handling under local control. The initiative tackled kitchen and garden waste separately, promoting home composting and implementing tailored collection strategies for single-family households and multi-apartment buildings.
As a result, 95% of single-family households now compost at home, reducing mixed (non-recyclable) waste by 118 kg per person—a 36% drop—in the last 8 years. City-wide, mixed waste has decreased by 18%. Impressively, these achievements come with a net positive impact on the public budget, as savings have exceeded the programme’s costs.
Available in English, Croatian, Dutch, and Hungarian.
This report highlights the critical role of public authorities in advancing reuse systems for takeaway packaging. The report, developed in partnership with Eunomia Research & Consulting, shows that switching from single-use to reuse could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower hidden costs like litter and carbon impacts. Case studies in Aarhus and Berlin reveal that small vendors may save on costs, while large businesses could face initial higher expenses. To level the playing field and unlock the full potential of reuse, the report calls for strong policy interventions such as levies, reuse targets, and bans on single-use packaging.
Full report available in English.
Executive Summary available in French, Portuguese, Croatian, and Dutch.
This 4th edition of the State of Zero Waste Municipalities Report looks back at 2023, spotlighting innovative local initiatives across Europe that promote environmental and community benefits. Despite facing urgent challenges, including record heat in 2023, this report aims to inspire hope by showcasing the progress towards zero waste cities. It celebrates the tireless efforts of local communities and their impact on creating a better, fairer, and more resilient future.
Ahead of the EU bio-waste separate collection mandate in January 2024, LIFE BIOBEST‘s Deliverable 5.2 identifies the gaps in the regulatory framework and systemic barriers obstructing efficient bio-waste management with high capture rates of high-quality material.
LIFE BIOBEST interviewed 15+ expert stakeholders from across the EU to discuss the difficulties of meeting the landfill and recycling targets as well as the mandate for separate collection of bio-waste. This report investigates the status of transposition and management results of the EU legal framework and proposes recommendations and calls to action.
Available in English.
Released for public dissemination by the LIFE BIOBEST project, this report consists of a homogenised dataset on municipal bio-waste management.
Originating from an investigation into the current status of data collection and reporting in the European Union, the publication contains data on basic information and boundary conditions for bio-waste collection and treatment for nearly all 27 EU Member States, as well as a detailed dataset exploring the collection per capita of food waste and garden waste at the municipal level for Italy, Denmark, and Catalonia.
Available in English.
In view of the EU-wide mandatory separate collection of textile waste as of 2025, municipalities have the chance to align textile collection with the waste hierarchy and support a system of local reuse, particularly for clothing. This paper provides municipalities with an overview of good practices and lessons learned from the separate collection of textile waste across Europe.
An optimised collection system can support the implementation of local zero waste solutions. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, we have identified key success factors, including adopting the collection method to the needs of citizens, mandating quality sorting for reuse, promoting local reuse, and setting up a good governance structure. The governance of the system should seek to integrate the local collection and reuse into the wider policy framework and link social policies with circular economy objectives.
Municipalities hold key levers to steer the system towards local reuse by requiring collectors to generate and report data as well as set performance indicators in line with the waste hierarchy. Finally, the system must anticipate the introduction of the EU-wide introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles, which is currently being negotiated at the EU level and is likely to become mandatory in all Member States after 2027.
Available in English.
Executive Summary available in English, French, and Dutch.
Gusinje, a rural municipality in Montenegro, has made remarkable progress towards zero waste in just 30 months. With support from Zero Waste Europe and active citizen participation, it has achieved key milestones in waste reduction and management.
Despite challenges common to underdeveloped regions, Gusinje embraced the EU-funded Montenegro and Albania Towards Zero Waste project, implementing strategic measures for waste reduction and recycling like a Material Recovery Facility and educational campaigns. This led to a significant drop in organic waste and higher recycling rates.
Education played a key role, promoting home composting and community cleanups. Looking ahead, Gusinje plans to strengthen waste management policies, serving as a model for other Montenegrin municipalities.
In the current landscape of European municipalities, the shift towards zero waste is undeniably grounded in environmental concerns. The environmental advantages of embracing a zero waste approach are evident, but from an economic perspective, the municipal standpoint becomes somewhat less clear.
This report serves as an introductory guide for those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the costs and financing involved in establishing and implementing essential infrastructure elements crucial to a local zero waste strategy. The intention is to offer a broad overview from diverse European contexts, presenting data from a representative sample of European scenarios (Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania and Spain), allowing readers to explore various examples of costs linked to systems aimed at enhancing local waste management.
The Sicilian municipality of Calatafimi Segesta may be small, but it provides one of Europe’s leading examples of how an island municipality can implement an effective zero waste strategy whilst also focusing on improving the lives of the local community. Despite receiving high-levels of tourism each year and having a dense, historic area in its centre, Calatafimi Segesta still achieved a 85% separate collection rate and generated just 88kgs of residual waste per person in 2022.
The municipality achieved these impressive results through a process of implementing a zero waste strategy at its core, with a focus on door-to-door collection of materials and the prioritisation of capturing organics, with supplementary incentives offered to residents who home composted. The decision not to build or extend local incineration capacity has allowed the municipality to implement ambitious policies that have delivered results.
Since its political commitment to become a Zero Waste City in 2011, the municipality has doubled the amount of materials separately collected for recycling and reuse. In this same timespan, they have reduced the volume of residual waste by two-thirds.
Available in English, Italian, Croatian, and Estonian.
The European project as we know it is running out of steam and it is not capable of delivering on its objectives of peace, prosperity, and equality.
In order to stay within the commitment of 1.5°C degrees warming, the broken paradigm based on economic growth should be replaced with a new one. Our Manifesto calls on the need for building a new European project based on wellbeing, sufficiency, and resilience.
The EU’s Waste Framework Directive requires all Member States to separately collect bio-waste from January 1, 2024. With ambitious recycling targets of 60–65%, effective bio-waste collection is crucial for meeting circular economy goals. However, some municipalities may opt for cheaper, less effective collection methods, such as large street bins, risking lower recycling performance.
This paper presents data from various European regions, demonstrating that door-to-door collection yields the highest quantity and quality of bio-waste. It outlines key performance indicators and policy recommendations for municipalities aiming to implement high-performing systems. The study conclusively finds that door-to-door collection is the most efficient and cost-effective method for achieving high-quality bio-waste recycling.
Available in English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Estonian, and Hungarian.
The German city of Tübingen took the pioneering steps of introducing a city wide tax on single-use plastic items, which formed just one part of a wider strategy to foster reuse within the city. The tax applied to both single-use cutlery (20 cents) and single-use packaging for food and beverage containers (50 cents).
The city supplemented this action to support businesses transition to reusable alternatives by providing subsidies for dishwashers and directly connecting them with companies who have the equipment and infrastructure already for reusable packaging. Whilst the legality of the tax is now under review within the German legal system, the story of Tübingen highlights how cities can take bold and important action to tackle the flood of single-use items on their streets.
The Zero Waste Training Handbook is a resource developed under the BEZWA project to empower changemakers and enhance their impact on zero waste at the local level. It supports the Zero Waste Ambassador and Trainer curricula by deepening topic understanding and providing exercises and materials for training. The handbook is divided into two main parts, with added chapters on values, wellbeing, and metacognition to enhance learning. It can be used as a complete guide or accessed by individual chapters for focused work on specific topics.
For future improvements, we welcome here your feedback after reading any of these documents.
This document is the result of the BEZWA project (Building a European Zero Waste Academy) – an Erasmus+ funded collaboration between five organisations with the main aim to create a strong educational framework in support of the zero waste cities movement in Europe. The project partners were Zero Waste Europe, Ekologi brez meja, Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn University, with Let’s Do It Foundation (Zero Waste Estonia) as the project coordinator.

A structured curricula for Zero Waste Trainers, who could help municipalities to gain the knowledge and resources to design and operate effective zero waste strategies in their communities.
While the aim of the Zero Waste Ambassador curriculum is to provide competences needed to support and drive communities in Europe towards long term systemic change for zero waste, the Zero Waste Trainer curriculum gives insights on how to train Ambassadors. This curriculum provides educators with a framework and a set of principles to be able to teach the most important concepts and practical knowledge of how to educate different target groups on zero waste and other complex topics.
Certified Trainers from all across Europe are listed on our expert page, which you could be added to. An expert certification will give you confidence in carrying out your mission, as well as helping you advance in your career. Qualified knowledge in implementing a circular economy is increasingly sought after in all sectors and various positions.
If you want to learn more about getting the Certificate, please contact us at [email protected]
This document is the result of the BEZWA project (Building a European Zero Waste Academy) – an Erasmus+ funded collaboration between five organisations with the main aim to create a strong educational framework in support of the zero waste cities movement in Europe. The project partners were Zero Waste Europe, Ekologi brez meja, Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn University, with Let’s Do It Foundation as the project coordinator.

A comprehensive curriculum designed to train Zero Waste Ambassadors, empowering local authorities with the tools, resources, and expertise needed to develop and implement impactful zero waste strategies within their communities.
The skills and competencies gained through this training programme are certified with a Zero Waste Ambassador Certificate. It is a separate process where you will be supported, either through training or via the verification of your competencies independently. You can apply to become certified and receive the Certificate through the Zero Waste Cities programme. Certified Ambassadors and Trainers from all across Europe are listed on our expert page.
If you want to learn more about getting the Certificate, please contact us at [email protected]
This document is the result of the BEZWA project (Building a European Zero Waste Academy) – an Erasmus+ funded collaboration between five organisations with the main aim to create a strong educational framework in support of the zero waste cities movement in Europe. The project partners were Zero Waste Europe, Ekologi brez meja, Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn University, with Let’s Do It Foundation as the project coordinator.

Europe is in the midst of a transition and zero waste is part of it.
Ten years ago, the concept of zero waste was laughed at. Today, zero waste is mainstream, from being considered a practical approach to implementing a circular economy to a trending lifestyle globally. The efforts from civil society groups in Europe and around the world pushed the debate higher in the waste hierarchy. If at any time over the last twenty years reuse and prevention had a chance, it is now. And ZWE is committed to bringing that change forward.
From a content perspective, for the next 3 years, we will focus on bringing IN incentives and funding for the transition, phasing OUT toxics, lifting UP reuse, pushing for BETTER recycling and bringing waste disposal DOWN.
Our Strategic Framework for 2022-24 outlines the ZWE roadmap and goals for the coming years, with the ultimate aim of helping us achieve a zero waste future for Europe (and for the world, while we’re at it).
Available in English.