In addition to the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR), the project involves partners specializing in the circular economy from Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania. RRA LUR has invited some of the most innovative Slovenian stakeholders working in waste management to join the initiative. These organizations aim to reduce waste generation, optimize the collection of existing waste, and maximize its potential by repurposing materials as secondary raw resources for new products, bringing them new life or extending their lifecycle. The Slovenian contributors include the public utility company Voka Snaga, Mission 100 of the City of Ljubljana, Smetumet, Institute for Sustainable Development, Knof, Jugošik, Technology Park, Etri Community, Bolje, and the Paplab and Reuse Center, both part of Voka Snaga. Organizations offering innovative solutions for waste management are also welcome to join the project and can express their interest here.
As part of the project, stakeholders will accompany RRA LUR representatives on selected study visits to international project partners, exchanging knowledge and learning about best practices while presenting their own. They will also participate in hosting the project partners in Slovenia in late spring 2025.
The first partnership meeting and study visit will take place in February 2025 in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. This visit will focus on waste reduction strategies at the source, waste management approaches, and methods for minimizing environmental impacts.
The best Slovenian practices in waste management will be featured on the Interreg Europe portal, a key reference platform for experts in the circular economy.
To encourage behavioral change, the project will also focus on communication and promotion, emphasizing actions individuals can take to generate less waste, shop more consciously, extend the lifespan of products, and dispose of waste correctly to enable recycling. These efforts will showcase good practices and tangible examples that can serve as inspiration. A special public exhibition will highlight the “second life” of certain waste items after their initial use.
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The Clear Cities project, set to run until the end of spring 2027, has brought together an impressive group of stakeholders from Slovenia to seek solutions for reducing the carbon footprint in waste management. At the project’s first meeting, held on September 27, 2024, at the Mission 100 Info Point in Kresija Palace in Ljubljana, key thematic focuses and activities were outlined. The goal is to inspire individuals to positively change their habits around waste generation and handling items they no longer need or that have served their purpose.