Riga City Council’s Housing and Environment Committee gathered for a meeting Tuesday, 16 November. There deputies discussed efforts to make the city a Zero Waste city.
As deputies were told by the Housing and Environment Department, Zero Waste city certification system is an independent, third-party certification standard that was used to create a waste-free methodology intended to help municipalities reach EU and national goals for waste management.
According to existing EU directives, Latvia is to establish different goals for waste management until 2035.
For example, Latvia is expected to increase recycled waste volumes to 65% by 2035.
Latvia is also expected to reduce the volume of household waste kept at landfills to 10% of the total volume of waste.
Considering that Riga generates the largest volume of waste in Latvia, the capital city has the most direct role to play in achieving outlined goals.
To promote bigger and more accessible waste sorting, Riga City Council has developed amendments to existing household waste management in Riga.
Design work has commenced for eight sorted waste collection places. Work is also underway on expanding the public sorting points network and mobile hazardous waste collection locations.
In cooperation with waste managers and Riga City Council’s Communication Office, a single single plan for communication and separate collection of waste materials has been developed.
To become a Zero Waste city, the municipal administration needs to come up with a plan that would include quantitative goals and a waste management policy.
It is necessary to analyse the situation with waste and come up with specific goals to increase the volume of collected and recycled hard household waste, as well as meet other requirements.
Riga makes plans to become a Zero Waste city
