News

2 February 2023

Zaragoza takes the first steps towards becoming a zero-waste city

On average, each European citizen produces 500 kg of waste in a year. However, only 45% of such waste is recycled. To relieve pressure on landfills, ICLEI Member Zaragoza (Spain) will redesign five value chains for solid urban waste, becoming the first circular economy hub in the Aragon region.

The Municipality of Zaragoza recently partnered with ICLEI alongside 34 organisations from 12 European countries to raise the bar for waste management. Over the next four years, the city will test new solutions for the collecting, sorting and processing materials. This will avoid 140,000 tonnes of waste going to the landfill every year.

The REDOL project will help cities foster industrial-urban symbiosis and turn solid urban waste into circular products," said Jorge Arroyo, technology project manager at CIRCE and coordinator of REDOL. The initiative will take Zaragoza one step closer to reaching its goal of recycling 100% of its urban waste by 2040.

Since no transformation is complete without societal involvement, the project will also develop guidelines and recommendations for decision-makers and will empower citizens to have an active role in collection schemes. The new industrial-urban symbiosis model will be observed closely by the cities of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Prato (Italy) and Bornholm (Denmark), which will replicate the solutions tested in Spain.

To learn more on ICLEI ‘s initiatives for zero-waste cities, click here.

To stay up-to-date on the REDOL project, check out their LinkedIn and Twitter pages.