ZERO WASTE EUROPE

Nestled near Hungary’s border with Slovakia, the tiny municipality of Ipolytölgyes is quietly redefining what rural sustainability can look like. Through a simple initiative called the “Long Ladder” project, the village is tackling isolation, inequality, and waste all at once, by letting locals borrow what they need, instead of buying it. A new model for […]

The post When a village shares: how Ipolytölgyes supports residents and cuts waste appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Over the past two years, Zero Waste Europe and 10 of its member organisations have teamed up with 30 European cities through the Elevating Reuse in Cities (ERIC) project, consolidating a network now covering over 3 million EU citizens. Together, they are developing and implementing local prevention plans to help reduce the generation of single-use […]

The post Breaking the single-use bias: two years of local action through the Elevating Reuse In Cities Project appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

There’s something powerful about our yearly Network-Wide Gathering (NWG). More than just a meeting, it’s a vital moment for our movement to reconnect, reflect, and recharge. Each year, this gathering brings our network closer, helping us deepen our collective work, share stories and strategies, and spark new opportunities for collaboration. In May 2025, over 60 […]

The post Coming together for change: highlights from our annual network gathering appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

What is the role of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in a circular economy? The Zero Waste Festival, which took place in Barcelona on 26-27 March, devoted one session to discussing the lessons of the last 30 years and the opportunities for the coming 30, so that EPR becomes an enabler in this transition. The presentation […]

The post Challenges and opportunities for Extended Producer Responsibility in the EU appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy principle established over 30 years ago to make producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of the products they place on the market. However, when this principle was incorporated into EU policy, its original lifecycle perspective was largely lost, with the focus shifting primarily to the end of life […]

The post Designing Extended Producer Responsibility to deliver on EU’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy agenda appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

2025 International Zero Waste Day shines light on the textiles crisis The fashion industry produces an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually, with less than 1% of materials being recycled into new clothing. With the average consumer buying 60% more clothing items than 15 years ago and keeping them for half as long, […]

The post Tackling the textile crisis at the 2025 Zero Waste Festival: from overproduction to circular solutions appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Three years ago, we published this blog. It was about the EU’s plan to fight toxic chemicals and pollution in the European Green Deal. At that time, for the first time ever, Europe was on its way to revising the food contact materials (FCMs) legislation – a dinosaur at almost 50 years old. Everyone agreed: […]

The post Why is toxic food packaging still legal? appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

On 26 March, members of the LIFE BIOBEST project team gathered in Brussels for a hybrid meeting with representatives from the Directorate-General for Environment under the European Commission. This exchange comes at a critical moment, as the EU works to improve bio-waste management practices across Member States and ensure proper implementation of the separate collection […]

The post LIFE BIOBEST exchanges with the European Commission in Brussels appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Across Ukraine, cities are facing growing challenges in managing household waste, challenges made even more complex by war, economic hardship, and a lack of infrastructure. Yet four municipalities, Lutsk, Kherson, Pokrovsk, and Derhachi, are leading the way toward sustainable, effective solutions through the Zero Waste Cities in Ukraine project, implemented by the NGO Zero Waste […]

The post The power of collaboration: building Zero Waste Cities in Ukraine appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Imagine living near a factory and discovering that toxic chemicals could be drifting into your backyard. That’s exactly what’s happening in Turňa nad Bodvou, where a nearby cement plant has come under fire for polluting the local environment. New research by OZ Green Element in cooperation with Friends of the Earth – SPZ, carried out […]

The post The hidden environmental pollution near the cement plant in Turňa nad Bodvou appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

Our society and planet are at a defining moment in our collective zero waste journey. In a moment where the urgency of the environmental crisis is being pushed aside by narratives on competitiveness, industrialisation, and political uncertainty, it is easy to fall into a mindset of feeling like there is no alternative. The fact remains […]

The post Weaving change: the 2025 Zero Waste Festival and the ZWE network’s contributions to the UN International Day of Zero Waste appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

It’s time to discover and learn more about the people behind Zero Waste Europe’s work and magic! In addition to the ZWE Changemakers series, where you can learn more about our member organisations, we invite you to get a closer look at our staff, what they do, and what inspires them to work for a […]

The post #MeetTheTeam – Giulia Lodi appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.

An increasing number of event organisers are opting for more sustainable solutions that reduce single-use packaging waste. However, many face challenges due to a lack of adequate resources or access to the services needed to implement these solutions effectively. The waste management company “Komunala Škofja Loka”, based in Škofja Loka, Slovenia, is one such organisation […]

The post Komunala Škofja Loka: cutting single-use waste with reusable cup rentals appeared first on Zero Waste Europe.