Publications type: Guides

Conducting a Waste Assessment is an important first step for municipalities and communities towards adopting a zero waste municipality plan. This tool has been developed to guide stakeholders when conducting both a waste assessment and brand audit, which have been designed to help municipalities analyse and understand the current levels of waste generation locally, from which future policies can be based upon to ensure as much material and resource is recovered as possible:

• What non-recoverable materials are most common and how can these be replaced with reusable, repairable or recyclable materials
• How to design your separate collection system so that it encourages the least amount of residual waste generation as possible
• What support residents need & therefore should receive to help them reduce their waste generation
• How much budget to allocate to your ZW Plan and the level of income you can expect to generate from this.

Building on existing materials, we have developed this “how to” guide on the necessary steps needed when conducting an assessment of municipal waste. It is designed for both municipalities and community stakeholders, recognising the strength and success of such assessments when they have been conducted by engaging a wide cross-sector of the community.

Europe is transitioning from a linear to a circular model of resource management and the implementation of this change is taking place at the local level. Ambitious European Union legislation is today in place regarding waste and recycling, whilst the EU’s Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0 will provide further requirements and incentives for member states to transition towards a circular economy.

These developments will require local authorities to accelerate and change gears in the coming years so that prevention and reuse policies are designed and implemented effectively, whilst the separate collection of high quality recyclable materials becomes the norm. With lowering levels of waste generated in Europe, this will facilitate the phasing out of disposing waste into landfills and incinerators, with increased emphasis placed on the positive impact this will have on achieving the EU’s target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.

This beginners guide has been developed to support municipalities and community stakeholders who are interested in zero waste. This guide provides an entry-level understanding on what zero waste is and how a zero waste strategy for your community can be designed and implemented. Specifically, this guide has been designed to:

• Ensure a common understanding of the zero waste concept, definition and hierarchy, helping to avoid distorted interpretations of zero waste;
• Create a common approach for zero waste municipalities across Europe to adopt and follow best practice examples;
• Recognise the importance of citizen engagement and to ensure that local communities are given meaningful access and the ability to participate in the decision making process throughout the programme.