30.12.2025
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This year has been filled with ideas, collaboration, and practical steps for the project team on the path toward more thoughtful use of resources. Thank you to everyone – readers, partners, municipalities, teachers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers – who are involved, follow along, and through their actions help make change happen. During the festive season and beyond, we invite you to bring these insights into your homes as well. Creative, reuse-based solutions help reduce the amount of waste and give the celebrations a special, personal warmth.
Looking to the future, we will continue to develop new initiatives, educational programs, and circular solutions so that waste generated in Latvia is increasingly used as a valuable resource.
May the New Year be full of creativity!
The LIFE Waste To Resources IP project has received the award “The Most Publicly Active LIFE Project,” which confirms the partners’ contribution to informing the public and promoting changes in habits.
In 2024, the project’s communication activities reached 2.8 million residents, highlighting the topics of textile, electrical and electronic, cigarette butt, and asbestos waste. The latest survey shows that the sorting of textiles has increased by 60% over three years. The campaign “Give It a Chance to Be Repaired!” strengthened the culture of repairing devices and promoted the Lab! repair workshop, where 3,500 electrical appliances were returned to circulation in 2024. Some of these were donated to charity. In 2025, the LAB! store was also opened in Riga. In the first 11 months of this year, 3,317 refurbished electrical devices were sold there.
Meanwhile, the campaign “Let the Old Roof Go!” for the first time in Latvia provided low-income and disadvantaged households, as well as Latvian Honorary Families, with the opportunity to dispose of asbestos-containing materials free of charge, collecting 711 tonnes of hazardous waste.
The award confirms that the work of the project partners has delivered measurable results in the waste management sector, promoting more sustainable habits and the reuse of resources.
The project expresses its gratitude for the support and cooperation to all partner organizations and to everyone who takes part in the various campaigns and follows the project’s activities.
The Ministry of Climate and Energy (MCE) has developed modern and engaging educational materials and a video series on the importance of biological waste and its use in the circular economy. The materials are intended for Grade 8 geography classes.
The educational package helps students understand the journey of biological waste, its impacts, and the opportunities to use it for energy production and soil enrichment. Students have access to practical tasks, a role-play activity, worksheets, and a Kahoot! quiz, while teachers are provided with ready-made lesson plans and a compiled set of materials. To make the topic even more accessible, a series of four short educational videos has been developed for students.
All materials comply with the national education standard and have been developed in cooperation with the State Education Development Agency (SEDA). They are freely available to all schools on the website mape.gov.lv and on YouTube.
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In October, Cēsis Municipality launched a new public engagement campaign #CĒSISNEIZMET and #CĒSISDALĀS, encouraging residents to share surplus food and reduce food waste. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the community, promote a sustainable lifestyle, and create local solutions to global challenges.
The campaign highlights the value of resources and encourages making sharing a daily habit. To make participation easy, Facebook and WhatsApp groups titled “Share Food in Cēsis Municipality” have been created, where residents can offer excess food – from garden produce to an uneaten cake.
Lāsma Ozola, Head of the Cēsis Zero Waste Community, emphasizes that the goal is to normalize food sharing as an expression of care, rather than a marker of social status.
Meanwhile, Vice Chair Inese Suija-Markova notes: “Sharing gives value not only to food, but also to relationships, and that is exactly what makes this idea so important for Cēsis – because our greatest value is our residents.”
During the campaign, practical tips, experience stories, and cooperation with local youth and food service providers are planned to promote a more sustainable circulation of food in Cēsis Municipality.
The Environmental Competence and Education Centre of ZAAO Ltd. has launched a new adult education programme, “Environmental Management in Municipalities,” aimed at improving the knowledge of municipal employees in the areas of sustainability, waste management, and the circular economy.
A total of 71 employees of Valmiera Municipality took part in the first four sessions, including specialists in culture, environment, sports, and tourism, heads of institutions, and other professionals. Participants became familiar with the services of ZAAO Ltd., took a virtual study visit to the “Daibe” Circular Economy Centre, and learned the basic principles of waste sorting and the circular economy.
Mārtiņš Vīgants, Head of the Regional Waste Management Centre of ZAAO Ltd., emphasizes that such training significantly improves cooperation with municipalities: “Often, a single conversation is enough to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that work is carried out accurately. The sessions allow participants to ask questions and jointly find solutions.”
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On 26 September, the webinar “Sustainability Aspects in Public Events and Catering” took place, where experts shared their experience on how to reduce waste and introduce circular principles in events and the catering sector.
The event was opened by Sandija Svarupa, representative of the Ministry of Climate and Energy, who presented the latest project updates and initiatives. Presentation
One of the most practical tools was presented by Liene Klišāne (project expert of Ce4Re, Vidzeme Planning Region), who demonstrated the free digital platform zerofoodwaste.vidzeme.lv, which allows users to calculate food waste volumes both in businesses and households. Presentation
Santa Pētersone spoke about implementing sustainability principles at large-scale events, presenting the experience of the Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival – reducing waste, saving resources, using local food, and introducing smart mobility solutions. Presentation
Meanwhile, Jānis Gailītis (Art Academy of Latvia) demonstrated how cultural and educational institutions can become drivers of circular innovation – through exhibitions, creative workshops, the fashion show “Life After the Wardrobe”, and artworks made from reused materials. Presentation
The webinar is part of the series “Dialogue with Science”, which brings together municipalities, businesses, and researchers on a quarterly basis to promote knowledge exchange in the field of the circular economy.
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On 7 October this year, an online webinar for teachers on BioLoģika excursion programmes was held. During the webinar, teachers learned how to use the offered routes and methodological materials to make study excursions both engaging and educational.
During the webinar, educators explored various routes, received practical tips on planning and organizing excursions, and reviewed worksheets, quizzes, and Kahoot! games. At the end of the session, teachers had the opportunity to ask questions and engage in a discussion with the BioLoģika team.
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With the slogan “Nothing Extra – More Joy!”, the annual Action Days campaign took place this autumn, encouraging people to rethink everyday habits and focus on responsible consumption.
More than 100 educational institutions across Latvia took part in the campaign.
Schools and kindergartens throughout Latvia organized workshops, lessons, waste audits, creative activities, and cycling events, demonstrating that sustainability begins with small, everyday actions. Participants created environmentally friendly festive packaging, cleaned forests, changed food preparation habits, and opened plant exchange points, experiencing in practice how much can be achieved together.
The campaign highlighted the importance of responsible action at a time when climate change and biodiversity loss are becoming increasingly critical, reminding us that a sustainable lifestyle is an investment in the future.
The Eco-Schools movement, which brings together more than 200 educational institutions in Latvia, continues to be a significant driver of public engagement and the development of sustainable habits.
For the second year in a row, within the project framework, the association “Zero Waste Latvia” has been maintaining the digital platform Lietovelreiz.lv, which provides access to circular economy solutions such as repairing, renting, exchanging, and donating items. The aim of the platform is to promote more mindful consumption habits and reduce the purchase of new goods, thereby decreasing waste generation.
Currently, the platform brings together more than 2,700 services across 33 categories, while the Items Catalogue features 11 partner locations throughout Latvia where items are prepared for reuse. The data show rapid growth – in 2024, 7.97 tonnes of items were returned to circulation at the CleanR exchange point “Nomales.” To date, the platform has been visited by more than 35,000 users.
Screenshot from https://www.lietovelreiz.lv/lv/karte
This year, Lietovelreiz.lv has been enhanced with an improved search tool and new filters, and a Circular Economy Roadmap for municipalities has also been developed. Next year, the platform’s offerings will be expanded with the Sarkandaugava Library of Things, which will be established within the international project Circ@Home. Zero Waste Latvia invites everyone to make use of the platform’s opportunities and to get involved in developing more circular habits.
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From 17 September to 8 October, the Ministry of Climate and Energy organized the seminar series “On the Path to Action”, bringing together more than 100 representatives from municipalities, state institutions, businesses, and NGOs. The aim of the seminars was to identify practical solutions for implementing the circular economy in the everyday work of municipalities.
At the first seminar in Salaspils, participants took part in the game “Procurement Mission – the Circular Challenge,” where they practically modelled circular procurement processes and concluded that sustainable procurement starts with defining the need, rather than purchasing a specific product.
In Valmiera, the focus was on circular centres — places where items can be handed in for reuse or repair. Participants discussed the most suitable locations, the necessary infrastructure, and cooperation opportunities. ZAAO Ltd. presented plans for a circular centre in Valmiera, while Eco Baltia vide shared experience with LAB! repair workshops.
At the seminar in Rēzekne, participants discussed communicating with the public in simple, clear language and motivating residents to sort waste. At the end of the seminar, the new circular cabinet at the East Latvia Creative Services Centre “Zeimuļs” was presented — a practical example of how ideas are transformed into real action.
In Kuldīga, the focus was on cooperation in implementing the circular economy. Participants identified the most common barriers to cooperation and explored solutions for building a shared understanding and responsibility among municipalities, businesses, and the community. Local examples were also presented — ranging from Kuldīga municipal services to a restoration centre offering residents the opportunity to restore and reuse historical resources.
The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculation tool has been updated, enabling efficient calculation of emissions from waste management activities.
The tool has been developed in accordance with the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ensuring accurate and internationally comparable results for national-level reporting and policy planning. The GHG emissions calculation tool provides a comprehensive overview of waste sector activities where emissions occur — including transportation, treatment, recovery, and disposal — and helps companies plan measures to reduce them. Emissions are expressed in CO₂ equivalents, covering CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, thus ensuring a complete assessment of impacts.
To keep the tool relevant and suitable for annual calculations, it is regularly updated with the latest data on waste volumes and material flows. Tool users have access to a User Manual, as well as training videos and a presentation, which help them become familiar step by step with the calculation process.
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