Elevating Reuse in Cities (ERIC)
“Cities can and should be the incubators and vectors for scaling packaging reuse systems and zero single-use policies in Europe. They have a leading role to play in the fight against single-use packaging waste. Yet many still lack clarity on what that role looks like in practice: which policies to implement, and how to phase single-use out of daily life. The ERIC project is here to answer exactly that: delivering concrete examples from our network of tools and a replicable blueprint for cities around the world.”
Manon Jourdan, Waste Prevention Manager and ERIC Project Coordinator
About ERIC
The Elevating Reuse in Cities project (ERIC) is an initiative funded by the Plastics Solutions Fund (PSF) and coordinated by Zero Waste Europe.
Phase 1 | 2023- 2025:
Launched in April 2023, its first phase lasted two-years and supported 30 EU municipalities in embedding single-use waste prevention locally through the development of so-called Plastic Prevention Plans (PPPs) that target single-use items prevention and reuse policies across their direct sphere of influence – events, municipal buildings, facilities, public spaces (e.g. streets, squares, parks) and procurement. Read more about the outcomes of the project’s phase 1.
Phase 2 | 2025 – 2028
In this second phase, launched in April 2025, we work with a tighter group of 10 municipalities – selected during the first phase for their commitment to advancing concrete policies on plastic prevention and reuse. Together, they cover around 4 million EU citizens: Ljubljana (Slovenia); Cornellà de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Torrelles de Llobregat (Spain); Brussels; the Nantes and Lyon metropolitan areas; Bordeaux (France); and Funchal and São João da Madeira (Portugal).
Particular progress has been made on two key topics: (1) the establishment of reuse systems at events and (2) the phasing out of single-use packaging in public procurement.
Measuring what matters and proving it works: ERIC cities are now testing a shared monitoring framework, tracking comparable data across local pilots to build the evidence base packaging prevention and reuse needs to be proven effective. Results are still coming in, but the groundwork is laid.
At the European level, our role as ERIC network facilitator has built something rare: a group of city representatives who now speak with a unified voice. For the first time, this enabled us to bring 12 European cities together behind a joint manifesto and three-month campaign calling for a packaging EPR fund for reuse and prevention – a direct push to level the playing field under the European Commission’s Circular Economy Act.
If you are interested in learning more about ERIC or explore ways to collaborate with the project, don’t hesitate to reach out to the project coordinators – Manon Jourdan and Jack McQuibban
Project outputs
Campaign for EPR reform
A coalition of nearly 40 European cities and progressive businesses launched an open manifesto and a campaign calling to reform the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems under the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act.
Why? Current EPR systems are failing to address the root causes of the waste crisis. They remain stuck in outdated, end-of-pipe solutions that neither incentivise true waste prevention nor support reuse at scale.
Our message to EU policymakers is clear:
We need EPR systems that prioritise waste prevention, enable reuse, and hold producers accountable for the full lifecycle of their packaging.
Inspirational Bank
More information coming soon!
Project partners & cities involved
Project partners
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Zero Waste Europe (coordinator) -
Ecologists without borders -
Rezero -
Zero Waste Belgium -
Zero Waste France -
ZERO Portugal
Municipalities involved in the project
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City of Brussels - Belgium -
Bordeaux - France -
Lyon - France -
Nantes - France -
Ljubljana - Slovenia -
Torrelles de Llobregat - Spain -
Viladecans - Spain -
Cornellà de Llobregat - Spain -
Funchal and São João da Madeira - Portugal
Publications & resources
Latest updates
Denmark is making reuse the norm: learnings from the study visit to Copenhagen and Aarhus
Breaking the single-use bias: two years of local action through the Elevating Reuse In Cities Project
Komunala Škofja Loka: cutting single-use waste with reusable cup rentals
Tackling plastic waste locally: A Catalan success story
Washable nappies at the heart of the eco crèche project – An inclusive, universal and economical solution
The role of local authorities in the fight against single-use plastics
Viladecans and Torrelles de Llobregat lead the fight against plastic waste
Zero waste practices are here to stay: from the Olympic Games in Paris to Afrobanana Festival in Cyprus
Calatafimi Segesta promotes a future without single-use plastics on World Environment Day
Transforming cities with the ERIC project: Paving the way to zero waste
Creating Prevention Pioneers: Insights from our training on plastic prevention and reuse strategies in Berlin
Launch of ‘ERIC’ project empowers local authorities to prevent plastic waste production
Get in touch
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Manon JourdanWaste Prevention Manager -
Jack McQuibbanHead of Local Zero Waste Implementation at Zero Waste Europe -
Giulia LodiCommunications & Network Officer at Zero Waste Europe
Funded by
Zero Waste Europe gratefully acknowledges financial assistance from the Plastic Solutions Fund. The sole responsibility for the content of this project lies with the authoring organisations. 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.