In 2014, Ljubljana became the first European Capital to move towards Zero Waste. The city has managed to multiply its separate collection of organic waste and to reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal by 95% while maintaining waste management costs among the lowest in Europe. How? Snaga, the public company that provides waste management in the province of Ljubljana, adopted three main strategies:

• Introduction of a door-to-door collection system, specifically focused on the collection of organic waste 
• Lower the frequency of collection for residual waste while keeping the collection of recyclables and organic waste the same 
• Strong communication strategy focused on prevention and reuse to engage citizens. 

After 14 years, data speak for themselves:

• Total waste generation decreased by 15 %
• Recycled or composted waste average went up to 68%  
• The amount of waste sent to landfill decreased by 95 %