The city of Sălacea, located in the north-west of Romania, not only managed to quickly rise from almost no waste recycling to 40% in 3 months but also how the community reduced their overall waste generation by 55%. Indeed, in partnership with Zero Waste Europe and Zero Waste Romania, the authorities in Sălacea began their journey towards Zero Waste by implementing:

•  A complete door-to-door separate collection system on five streams, including biowaste
• Engagement of local stakeholders, including principally ‘Eco Bihor,’ a regional operator for a sorting and treatment plant
• A comprehensive four weeks education programme and a strong communication strategy to engage the community

After only 3 months the results were outstanding:

• Total waste generated fell from 106.7 tonne to 47.93, a drop of 55%.
• Waste that went to landfill dropped from 105 tonne (98%) to 26.3 (55%)
• Separately collected waste rose from 1% to 61%,
• Rates of local citizen engagement increased from 8.4% to 97%