Ljubljana raised separate waste collection from 29 to 68 percent
Hook
In 2008 Ljubljana recycled about 29 percent of its waste. Today the figure quoted is 68 percent. The operator kept collecting leftover rubbish less often, even under public pressure.
Claim
A city that made leftover rubbish less convenient and separation easy got most of its waste into recycling streams.
Story
Slovenia’s tourism site says Ljubljana recycled 29.3 percent of its waste in 2008 and now recycles 68 percent. Mayor Zoran Janković announced the zero-waste goal in September 2014, and the city was European Green Capital in 2016. Municipal material gives separate collection as 55 percent in 2013 and 68 percent in 2018, and the operator Snaga is credited with holding to less frequent collection of residual waste despite public pressure.
Sources
- Slovenia.si: zero waste (29.3 percent in 2008 to 68 percent)
- Ljubljana: best in separating waste
- Zero Waste Europe case study
- Bouygues blog (household separate collection 68 percent against 22 percent in 2007)
Check before posting
- The 68 percent means different things in different sources (household separate collection against overall recycling, different years). Sources also give 63, 65 and 70. Quote one source with its year, never a bare figure.
- Mayor Janković has been in office since 2006 per the infobox, so long tenure is part of the story.
- Needs a person-level story (a Snaga worker, a resident).
Counterargument
Percentages of “recycled” and “separately collected” are not the same thing, and the figure depends on what is counted.
Post angles
Facebook (Croatian)
- Ljubljana je 2008. reciklirala 29,3 posto otpada, a danas se navodi 68 posto. Tajna je što se ostatni otpad skuplja rjeđe, a odvajanje je lakše. Što kod nas sprječava isto?
- Pazite na brojke: 68 posto je odvojeno prikupljanje, a ne nužno sve reciklirano. Zato uvijek pitajte što se točno broji.
LinkedIn (English)
- Ljubljana went from 29.3% (2008) to 68% separate collection (2018). The operator kept to less frequent collection of leftover rubbish despite public pressure. Which public body has the incentive to be that unpopular?
- Always check what a percentage counts: sources give 63, 65, 68 and 70 for the same city.